Yu-Gi-Oh GX: A Maiden's Quest
by GunnerDragon
Summary: A small story based on the events after the Duel in Yu-Gi-Oh GX Tag Force 2, for Blair's seventh heart event. Blair and Konami (Red Hat) go to find the legendary rocks. How will their relationship be changed by visiting the rock? Surely its powers are only rumours, right? Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Just a disclaimer to say that Yu-Gi-Oh and all it's associated properties (including GX, 5D's, Zexal, Arc V and Vrains) don't belong to me. All characters, materials, etc. are owned by others. I'm merely using them in this fanfic for fun.

 **A Maiden's Quest – Heart One**

"Go, Blue Eyes, finish them off with White Lighting!" Konami roared, as his legendary dragon reduced Chazz and Alexis' Life Points to zero.

The holograms disappeared as the sun shone high above in the sky. The midday sun hung high up above. Duel Academy's famous waterfall glistened beneath it, as it gently cascaded water down. There was little noise around as most students enjoyed a lie in on Sunday morning. The calm setting contrasted sharply with the intense duel that had just concluded.

"I can't believe I lost to a couple of slackers!" Chazz muttered, his face pale from the shock, looking as if he would faint any second.

His partner seemed to take the loss in her stride compared to the Slifer. "Hm, I guess that proves that you can't just tag out of the blue."

"Yeah! Now we can continue to the top of the legendary rocks." Blair exclaimed, nearly bowling Konami over with her excited hug, bearing her face in his chest, causing her partner to blush slightly, as her blue-purplish hair tickled the underside of his chin.

He knew they were partners and all but he found it to still awkward to have the girl he had a crush on hug him like that, especially when she was so oblivious to his feelings for her.

"Konami, are you OK?"Blair asked looking up at him. "You look all flushed. It's not the heat getting to you? Did you eat well this morning? I told you, your oversleeping can't be good for your digestion!"

"Oh…. Um … Yeah, I'm fine … it's just…..-"

"Ah, come on!" Chazz barked loudly, Konami thankful for once for Chazz's temper. "You were lucky! I could beat you in a rematch. And besides that, I thought you were after Jaden…"

Blair looked both angry and confused by Chazz's remark. "Well, of course I am! Why do you say that!?"

The rich Slifer student's face quickly turned from annoyed to smug. "Huh? You came this far and you still haven't figured it out? You dork!"

"Hey, Chazz! Watch it." Konami yelled, not liking the way Chazz spoke to his partner. "Just say whatever it is that you know."

"No need to get upset, Red Hat. And just so you know, you could fill the school library with the amount of stuff I know that you don't." Chazz was clearly revelling in knowing something the other two Slifers didn't. "Oh well. You two are lucky I'm such a nice guy. I'll point out the obvious for you two slackers. You're supposed to come here with the person the person you want to fall for you, Blair! And you're coming here with Konami!? Ha, ha, ha!"

"Ah! I didn't think of that! ..." Blair exclaimed, as small tears started to form in her brown eyes, "Maybe he's right ….."

' _Jeez_ ,' Konami thought, ' _don't look that upset, Blair, I might take offence_.'

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" Chazz was looking extremely smug now, with a grin that might just split his face in two. "Looks like you wasted your time! So go on and get outta here!" Nothing could ruin his mood now!

"Uh, Princeton … What is this you're talking about?"

Chazz whipped his head around with such ferocity Konami was surprised he didn't break his neck. Alexis had stayed silent up until that point and Chazz clearly forgot about her. As much as Konami wished his sometimes friend, always rival well in his romantic endeavours, it was hard not to enjoy the situation he got himself into.

"Ah! Oh, shoot!" A clearly horrified Chazz stammered, searching for some way out of the hole he dug for himself. "D-Don't get the wrong idea, Rhodes!"

Unfortunately for him, Alexis wasn't in a mood to hear his excuses, after losing and then being ignored for so long. "I'm leaving." She said as she walked off without a backwards glance.

"W-Wait! Rhodes! This is just a misunderstanding. I wasn't trying to hide anything!" Chazz yelled, leaving to give chase to her.

As they left, Konami let out the laugh he was holding in. Chazz could be annoying but his failed romantic advances always were amusing to Konami. He always found ways to mess up the situation.

"Man, people say Chazz has no sense of humour. That couldn't be further from the truth. He's the funniest guy I know. Just a shame for him it's all unintentional." Konami said, as he turned away from where they departed back to see his partner, who didn't share his good mood.

"I-I'm sorry, Konami." She weakly said looking severely disheartened. "I just ended up wasting your time again."

"Wasted my time?" Koami looked genuinely surprised at that. "Blair, if it wasn't for you I'd still be asleep right now. Instead I got to have a sick duel against two tough opponents. And besides," he continued his voice getting slightly weaker as a blush crept up his cheeks, "hanging around with you is never a waste of time."

Blair seemed taken aback by Konami's words before she broke out into a big grin. People always assumed she partnered up with him because of his great dueling skills, which was initially one of the reasons she choose him (along with the fact he was friends with Jaden). However, what kept the team together was his ability to raise her spirits even after every set back, be it duelling or love related.

" ….. I guess nothing comes easy, huh? Good thing this Maiden in Love always has her brave knight by her side, right?"

Konami's heart skipped a beat at Blair's smile. It hurt him to know that she loved Jaden like she did but he still vowed that he would do everything he could to help her. Even if she didn't feel the same as he did, he promised to protect that smile that lit up his whole world, even if it meant seeing her with someone else. She had always had his back and always raised his spirits over the years, no matter how bleak a situation he found himself in was. Now he had to have her back and repay her. That's what it meant to be a good partner, right?

"Of course. Right by her side. Where he always will be."

"Promise?"

"Pinky Promise." The partners locked pinkies, signalling their bond. Konami didn't know if he held on too long but for now he wasn't going to over think it.

"Well, seems like this plan for winning over Jaden was a bust. But seeing as we're here, let's continue further before we head back!" Konami's eyebrows shot into his hairline at that suggestion (not that it was noticeable with his hat obscuring his face). "Come on, Konami! It's probably all superstition anyway! Next time I meet Jaden, I'll give him a direct attack to his heart!"

"With what? You're 'special recipe' that seems to be dangerously high in cholesterol?"

"Jerk!" Blair yelled, giving chase to a fleeing Konami who took off up the mountain.

(A few hours later)

"Phew….. I'm gassed." Konami sighed, collapsing at the sight of the legendary rocks.

The sun had started to fall in the time it took them to reach the summit of the mountain, where the legendary rocks were. It cast an orange hue over Duel Academy Island. The climb up the mountain had taken much longer than Konami had expected. It was made much harder by having to run part of the way up to avoid Blair's wrath.

"Maybe if you didn't choose to run all the way up the mountain to escape the beating you know you deserve, you wouldn't be so out of breath." Blair countered well naturedly, moving past the jibe at her cooking abilities long ago and only continuing to chase Konami to get the heavy sleeper to do some exercise.

"Yeah, yeah," Konami muttered, "so these are the rocks?"

"Yup. Although they don't seem too legendary to me." Blair said, looking disappointed at the landscape.

"Maybe those rocks aren't great but you can't deny the view from up here." Konami pointed out, looking out over the whole of Duel Academy Island. "Just a shame you'll never be able to keep Jaden's attention long enough to get him to climb up here."

Blair turned to look at the view he was pointing out when she suddenly did a double take. From the mountain top, all of Duel Academy's famous landmarks were clear. The waterfall, the volcano, the respective dorms and, of course, the main building were all visible. It showed just how beautiful and varied the island was. The smell of the sea, Duel Academy's trademark odour, was gone replaced with a much more pleasant smell of fresh, pure air.

Konami took off his hat to wipe away the sweat on his forehead. The sunlight shone in his bright blue eyes in a way that was unusual for him, as he rarely took off his hat. The gentle breeze from atop the mountain danced through his mousy, brown hair, slightly ruffling his red jacket as well. He felt an overwhelming feeling of contentment fall over him. Up by the legendary rocks all his feelings and worries slipped away and felt less daunting.

Whatever Viper had planned, whether the Shadow Riders rose again, a cult of Light came back or any other challenge this world threw at him, he felt he could handle it.

Blair also shared this feeling of content. She sat beside her partner and gently rested her head on his shoulder. Konami let out minor yelp of surprise but didn't protest any further. Blair sat there silently, as she thought of all her concerns. As long as her brave knight was by her side, she felt that nothing could drag her down.

The team sat together as the sun continued to fall into the sea. Konami had that about leaving a few times but he didn't say anything. This moment was perfect for him. Spending his day watching the sunset with the girl he cared about more than any other, isn't that what life was all about?

Surprisingly, Blair shared his feelings. She could have stayed by her partner like this forever. Konami's shoulder was quite comfortable and the feeling of his soft breathing brushing her skin was relaxing. This was usually something you do with the person you love, but to Blair, Konami felt so natural and right in this situation.

Eventually, Konami spoke up. "I suppose we should start heading back. If we don't we'll get in trouble for missing curfew."

Reluctantly, Blair agreed. As much as she wanted to stay, she was a person who prided herself on being the ideal Duel Academy student. She slowly stood up and quickly dusted herself down before offering her hand to help Konami up. The brunet reached up to except, grateful as his legs had gone dead from sitting down so long.

As soon as their hands touched, Blair felt a weird feeling come over her. She suddenly became conscious of how nice Konami's hand felt in hers. Heat ran into her cheeks as her partner's face came close to hers as he stood up.

"So got any ideas for what you'll do next time?" he asked, walking off.

"Huh?" Blair asked, still blanked out.

"For the next time you try win Jaden over?" Konami clarified as he saw a small signpost by the trees.

Blair stood there silently as Konami sweat dropped when he realised that there had been a stairs they could have taken to reach the mountain top faster.

For some reason that Blair couldn't quite explain, the idea of getting Jaden to like her suddenly seemed less appealing now….


	2. Chapter 2

Just a disclaimer to say that Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't belong to me. All characters are owned by others. I'm merely using them in this fanfic for fun.

 **A Maiden's Quest – Heart Two**

"Good morning, Konami!" Blair said in her melodious voice. " I've decided! This time I'm going to tell Jaden how I really feel! I should beat him in a duel and then confess! Alright, let's go!"

"Ugh …" Konami sighed before rolling over. "Five more minutes! I need more sleep!"

Blair scowled before grabbing him by the neck of t-shirt and dragging him out of bed as he kicked and complained. "It's already one o'clock! How much more sleep do you need!? And how can you even sleep with that hat on your head?"

"I'm a growing boy. I need my sleep." Konami said weakly still lying in a heap on the ground. "And the hat's comfy once you get used to it."

"You're unbelievable sometimes. Now come on get up." Blair said offering out her hand to her partner.

As soon as he grabbed her hand and started to pull himself up, Blair felt a weird warm feeling in her chest. Shocked she suddenly let go, causing Konami to fall back in a heap with a thud.

"Ouch!" the red hat enthusiast said rubbing the lower part of his back. "That was uncalled for Blair."

Blair blushed, surprised at her reaction. "Sorry. So sorry! I'll leave you get you dressed. I'll be waiting outside."

Konami watched his partner quickly leave the room, looking rather confused. Since when did Blair react like that? And since when did she ever apologise to anyone much less him? She normally would power on based on her feelings. To see her flustered like that was strange.

Blair waited outside trying to get a grip of herself. Why was she suddenly acting so weird around her partner? It just had to be the nerves of knowing she would shortly be confessing her feeling to Jaden. That was all that it was. Definitely nothing else.

The Slifer got dressed in a few minutes, making his task much harder for himself by wearing his hat as he did so, before leaving the room. His partner was waiting just outside and Konami was relieved to see it seem to be the usual Blair with her thousand watt smile.

"C'mon," Konami said walking past her, "got to get me some breakfast."

Blair followed after shaking her head at her partner's forgetfulness. "Breakfast was hours ago."

"Ah. Yes." Red Hat murmured nodding his head along. "Lunch?"

"Hours ago."

"Linner?"

"Doesn't exist." Blair replied before happily saying, "But there's some of my special recipe left over in the fridge."

Konami suddenly stopped walking halfway across the duel field, silently weighing up his options, before saying, "I could see if there's any of Pharaoh's cat food left over?" He smiled once he saw the outraged look on Blair's face. His smile quickly evaporated as Blair kicked him in the shin. "Ouch! Why is it always my shin!"

"Hey! My cooking isn't that bad!" Blair yelled to which her partner raised his eyebrow. "Well ….. like ….. I haven't poisoned you for a few ….. days now."

The pair resumed their walk over to the Slifer cafeteria, which was empty for once. Once inside Blair sat her partner down before pulling out her special recipe from the fridge. The pasta looked edible but with Blair you could never tell. Konami took hesitant a bite before breaking into a grin. Truth be told, it was really good. He often gave Blair more stick than she deserved for her cooking. She was always working hard on it. Her positive attitude and willingness to improve were two things at the top of the list of qualities he admired about her.

"See?" she said beaming at his reaction. "Told you I was a great cook! Now down to serious business!"

"Sure." Konami said feeling as though someone was watching them. "What's the plan?"

"Well … I was thinking about what to do since our trip to the legendary rocks." Blair explained. "And like you said I'm never going to be able to get Jaden do something like climbing a mountain. So I need to do something that he won't refuse."

" A duel?"

"Correct. So I'll invite him here, then we can duel and then when I win, I can confess. It'll be so romantic!"

Blair skipped off happily to call Jaden to get ready. Meanwhile Konami sat in silence contemplating what would happen. Once Blair confessed and Jaden become her partner, Konami probably wouldn't spend so much time with her. He'd have to find a new partner. He'd also finally have to accept defeat and move on. As much as it hurt him he knew it was for the best. Blair has always liked Jaden. He should be happy for her.

His silent contemplation was interrupted by a figure busting out of the bin behind. "Wow!" Atticus whistled. "That was tough to keep quiet through!"

"Why is everyone obsessed with hiding in bins in this school?" Konami asked exasperated.

Aticus ignored his question completely as he strode over and swung his arm around the Slifer. "Did my ears deceive my or did I just hear Blair say you two went up to the legendary rocks together?"

"No, no, no!" Konami stuttered blushing slightly, knowing what Atticus was implying. "It's not like that!"

Atticus laughed further adding to Konami's embarrassment. "You realise that we all know how you feel? It's fairly obvious considering you two are never apart. Has there ever been one of her crazy ideas that you turned her down on?"

Konami merely looked away before muttering, "It doesn't matter. Blair likes Jaden. You heard her yourself. She's going to confess later so it'll all work itself out."

Atticus' grin just grew bigger. "Perhaps. Your selflessness is one of your key selling points, you know. Either way don't worry, Shining Knight. Big Bro Atty has got your back."

With that Atticus walked off as Konami yelled out, "What does any of that even mean?" Atticus just responded with his signature smile and pose. "Oh, this can't be good."

(Later on)

"There you are, Jaden!" Blair yelled out with a wide smile, waving frantically at the brown haired Slifer. She was waiting by the duel field in the Slifer dorm alongside her partner who also waved at his friend.

"Oh, hey guys." Jaden said with his goofy grin. "What's up?"

"Jaden! Sorry to cut to the chase, but let's duel!" Blair had suddenly become serious, putting on a stoic face.

' _You're really not wasting any time here are you, Blair?_ ' Konami thought with a smile.

"Huh? A duel? Sure, of course!" Jaden replied looking extremely excited. "Well since you've got Konami with you how about we make it a tag duel. C'mon, Jesse, you too!"

The teal haired boy happily bounded over to the group. "A duel you say? Wahoo! Sounds like fun!"

From out of nowhere a voice called out, "But, Jesse! You know I'm Jaden's best partner!"

"Wha! The garbage can can speak!" Jaden screamed looking shocked.

Konami couldn't help but put his head in his hands at that one. ' _Really, Jaden? A talking trash can? After everything we've been through you find that surprising! And you don't recognise Syrus' voice?_ '

"I'm Jaden's partner!"

"Ah! Truesdale, are you hiding in the garbage can again!?" Blair asked looking surprised. That quickly gave way to a frustrated pout at who many unwanted extras were tagging along.

"….. again?" Jaden asked.

Konami waved him off. "Don't go there. It's a long story."

"Ah, come on Syrus, don't be like that." The happy go lucky Jesse responded. First come, first duel, right?"

"Finally I found you, Truesdale!" Tyranno yelled as he came running across the field. "What have you been doing? Huh? Speaking of that, what are all you guys doing here, too?"

"Ah, man. I lost Jaden as a partner ….. Ugh…" Syrus suddenly bemoaned.

Konami looked around the field at the ever expanding group of friends. "Hey, Blair," he asked his partner as the four boys bickered amongst themselves, "do you think we've lost control of this situation?"

Blair was keeping her poker face up. "Just ignore everyone else. Focus on the duel and getting my feelings across to Jaden."

"Hehe. This looks like an interesting matchup! Good luck everyone!" Tyranno yelled out.

"Let's get our game on, Jesse!" Jaden said with his trademark enthusiasm.

"Jaden, this is going to be fun!" his equally excited partner replied.

"Konami …. Let's do this! If there's any duel I can't afford to lose, it's this one!"

Konami activated his duel disk determined to make this a memorable victory to close out his tag team with Blair.

(A few minutes later)

As the duel neared its conclusion Konami was able to bring out his ace monster Blue Eyes White Dragon. "Go, Blue Eyes," Konami yelled, "destroy Elemental Hero Neos with White Lighting!" With that Jaden and Jesse's Life Points hit zero. "Gotcha!"

"Yes! Yes! We did it!" Blair yelled. Without giving him a chance to brace himself, she tackled Konami to the ground, hugging him. Somewhere nearby Konami swore he could have heard to sound of a camera click.

"Uh…. Blair?" he asked blushing again by his partner's overenthusiastic celebration. "Do you mind?"

"Oh yeah!" Blair murmured looking embarrassed. "Sorry!"She said as she stood up. As she couldn't afford to be distracted by any weird feelings, she let him get up on his own.

"Whoa! Sweetness! That was a really cool duel!" Jaden happily yelled oblivious to the scene in front of him.

"Aha, ha, ha! We lost Jaden but that was a lot of fun!" the equally oblivious Jesse shouted in agreement.

"Wow! You guys beat Jaden and Jesse!" Tyranno said in surprise. "I knew you two were a good team but I never knew you two were this good."

"He, he! Jaden!" Blair called out excited. "Are you impressed with me?"

"You bet!" Jaden replied sincerely, "You guys dueled great! Really!"

"OK, here it goes…!" Blair said, looking back at Konami who gave her a reassuring nod along with a somewhat forced smile, " I … I love you, Jaden! If you like …. Maybe we could ….."

"Ah, I like dueling you too! Dueling's the best, isn't it!? Alright! There's a Duel Tournament today!" Jaden yelled out oblivious to what Blair meant.

' _For the love of Ra, Jaden!_ ' Konami thought to himself, ' _She literally came right out and said it …. How can you not take the hint?_ "

"Huh? J-Jaden!?" Blair looked perplexed.

"Tournament! Yeah! Let's go! Let's decide tag partners! Konami, you can tag with me this time and Jaden and Tyranno…." Jesse said positively bouncing with excitement at the thought of this tournament.

"No! I want to partner with Jaden!" Blair yelled out looking on the verge of tears. She had completely lost control of this situation.

Soon an all out argument broke out between the group over who Jaden's best partner was. Jaden was just slowly backing away, clearly not wanting to be dragged into this mess.

"Ah …. I failed …." Blair said as she returned to Konami's side looking dejected. "But maybe it's because he's like this that I like him so much ….."

"Hey, Blair. Look," Konami said after a moment of hesitation, "Jaden has taken a few steps away from the rest of the group. Try telling him again before they all calm down."

Blair blinked realising the situation wasn't beyond salvaging at this point. She had another chance. But before she did that there was once last thing to do.

"Konami …" She said turning to face him and lock eyes with him, grabbing his hands, holding them in her own. "Thanks for everything up till now! I don't think I would've won the last duel if you weren't my partner …. Even when I team with Jaden, Konami, you'll definitely still be the best partner I've ever had! And ….. you're pretty cool to! Not as cool as Jaden, though! Aha, ha, ha!"

Blair happily skipped past the rest of the group as she tugged on Jaden's sleeve to get his attention and drag him a few feet away from the group. Konami knew he just shot himself in the foot but it'd be worth it to see his partner happy. He smiled watching his friends, knowing he did the right thing.

"See? This is what I was telling you about!" Atticus' voice came from behind him. "Isn't he just so adorably valiant and heroic?"

Konami looked around to yell at Atticus to knock it off but realised that he wasn't alone. There was a tall Obelisk student beside him. She had pale purple hair styled into twin tails. Her red eyes popped against her fair skin. For whatever reason she was smiling happily at Konami.

"Uhhhh … Atticus? What's going on?" Konami asked.

"Oh! Nothing much!" the elder Rhodes replied. "Just helping out a friend."

' _Why do I seriously doubt that?_ ' Konami thought to himself, wary of any of his friend's plans.

"See now that Blair has left you to partner with Jaden you need a new partner. And I knew you'd be too noble to find another one yourself so I found one for you. Wisteria here was very interested when she heard that the person who saved this school from the Shadow Riders and Society of Light needed a partner!"

"W-W-What?" Red Hat spluttered out. "Atticus, what did you do!?"

"Hehehehe." Atticus said his grin somehow growing even bigger. "Just pointed out to an interested party all our good qualities and selling points. You're welcome!"

Konami couldn't hide the look at discomfort on his face as Wisteria wrapped her arms around his right arm. "I so look forward to being partners with you!" she said with a big smile. Atticus laughed as Konami went a bright red at the situation he found himself in.

Blair took Jaden by the sleeve and pulled him away by the rest of the group. "Look, Jaden …. There's some stuff I need to tell you ….. I don't think that I made myself clear earlier. When I said … that I …. I ….."

Quickly Blair went to steal a glance at Konami to reassure herself and to have him give her the push she needed. However when she looked back she remembered he wasn't by her side and that some Obelisk had her arms wrapped around him, calling herself his partner. Blair immediately went to object before realising that if she went with Jaden than she would no longer be Konami's partner. Someone else would be. That seemed wrong on so many levels to Blair.

That meant it would be someone else's job to wake him up every morning, to get him to go to class, to take notes for the classes that he fell asleep in. It would be with them that Konami would explore the island with, that he would help with all their small problems that no one else would help them with, that he would rush to save no matter what the situation was.

But she had already said that she loved Jaden. And that was true, right? Ever since that first time he dueled her she had fallen in love with him. Nearly all her actions since that day were to led her to this moment. So why was she hesitating at the crucial moment?

"Hey, Blair….?" Jaden asked nervously. "Is everything alright? What was it you wanted to say?"

Blair turned back to look at her crush with uncertainty in her eyes. She had to decide what to do and she had to decide fast, before that Obelisk had a chance to latch her claws in Konami. Blair took a deep breath before continuing on with a confident smile.

"I just wanted to say … Thanks Jaden! Thanks for always putting up with me. Thanks for all your help and everything that you've done for me!"

Jaden smiled looking relieved. "No problem! That's what friends are for!"

Blair's smile grew wider. "Now if you excuse me, I have to go."

With that Blair turned and ran back to where her partner was. She raced over and pulled him out of the grasp of a snooty looking Obelisk. Konami looked relieved and surprised in equal measure, as she pulled him past Atticus.

"What are you doing, Blair? What about the plan?" he asked, as they stopped a few feet behind Atticus.

"I decided that the time wasn't right." She answered honestly. "I wasn't ready to stop being your partner. I mean, you're hopeless! You wouldn't survive without me!"

"I'm not that bad!" Red Hat replied. "And why are you pulling me?"

"Hey!" Wisteria yelled. "I thought you were leaving Konami to partner with the dropout boy!?"

Blair turned and stuck her tongue out at Wisteria. The Obelisk gasped that someone would have the gall to do something so crass to her. "I'm not done being Konami's partner." Blair yelled. "So you can't have him!"

"But – but Blair!" Konami said pulling his arm free. "What about the plan?"

"Plans can wait for a bit! I'm not done being your partner yet!" the diminutive Slifer said before she quickly grabbed Konami's hat and ran off.

"H-Hey!?" Konami yelled looking stunned. "What are you doing? Give that back!"

"Come and get it back!" Blair yelled without a backwards glance.

Konami raced after her desperately trying to regain his hat, feeling naked without it. Atticus stood smiling as he watched the team run towards the harbour. Wisteria had stormed off, angrily stomping her feet as she did so. The "Love Doctor" had succeeded in his plan. By bringing Konami a possible replacement for her, he forced Blair into realising that she didn't want to lose Konami.

"It's up to you now, kiddo…."

 **{A/N}**

 **Just wanted to say a massive thanks to anyone who read, favoured, followed or reviewed the story. Thanks for the support and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as well.**


	3. Chapter 3

Just a disclaimer to say that Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't belong to me. All characters are owned by others. I'm merely using them in this fanfic for fun.

 **A Maiden's Quest – Heart Three**

The following few months were a whirlwind. With the students having to deal with Professor Viper, Yubel and the different dimension time started to fly by. The time in the other dimension changed Jaden considerably. Konami was also affected by his use of Super Polymerization to fuse with Yubel. An occasional red glint in his eye proved to be the only noticeable difference but it was still something Blair picked up on. By the time anyone gained any sense of normality back in their lives, it was approaching the end of Konami's final year at Duel Academy. The students in the graduating classes were busy making plans for what to do when they left the school.

Blair made her way to the familiar room 204 in the Slifer dorm. She knocked on the door before opening it and walking in. "Morning, Konami." She said. Suddenly she froze on the spot.

A sight so strange, so unusual, so unexplainable was waiting behind the door. Konami was sitting at his desk, fully dressed, doing what appeared to be actual proper work. She frantically checked her watch to see it was 7AM. Her face started to go pale. The red hat wearing student turned to his partner giving her a smile once he saw her.

"Hey, Blair!" he said looking happy to see his partner, before frowning when he saw the look on her face. "What's the matter?"

Before he knew how to react Blair rushed at him. She placed her hand on his forehead to check for a fever or temperature. He seemed fine. Blair went to find a thermometer to get a proper reading of his temperature.

"Blair?" Konami said looking worried. "What are you-"

He was cut off by Blair as she attempted to put the thermometer in his mouth. All Blair knew was that something was definitely not right.

"Do you have a fever?" Blair asked still refusing to put the thermometer away. "Are you being controlled by a weird cult? An evil spirit? A weird Psychic?"

"No, no, no and definitely not!" Konami said finally able to wrestle the thermometer away. "Now why are you acting so weird?"

"Me?" Blair yelled. "Why are you acting so weird? You're up so early! What's the matter with you?"

To answer her question Konami simply held out a piece of paper. Blair took it from his hands and quickly started reading it. It was from Maximillion Pegasus himself. Apparently he was holding a tournament on his own private island once the academic year ended. He wanted to find a new dueling prodigy to challenge the King of Games.

"Huh." Blair said stunned.

"I know. Weird, huh?" Konami said as he continued writing his letter accepting his place. "Why does he call Konami-boy?"

"Ha." Blair said not sounding convincing at all. "Weird."

Concerned by her answer, Konami turned to face his long-time partner. She looked quite upset. Even if she had her forced smile on, she couldn't hide the sadness in her eyes. This didn't resemble his Blair at all. Normally she would be a ball of energy who would keep moving, running on her emotions, that never let any set back stop her from smiling, at least for long.

"Blair? What's the matter? I promise I'll be alright. C'mon! When has Pegasus inviting people to compete in a tournament at his own private island ever been dangerous?" Konami said hoping to lighten the mood. When he saw Blair not reacting to his joke he tried again. "C'mon, Blair. You know you can tell me anything right? What's the matter?"

Blair looked at him with her sad eyes before saying, "It's nothing. It's just it finally hit me that everyone will be finishing up soon. That everyone will be going their own way. That they have their own plans." ' _That you have your own plans. One's that don't include me_. _Why does that sound so wrong?_ ' she finished in her head.

"Hey," Konami said with a reassuring smile, "you can always keep in touch with people. You have everyone's PDA info, right? And I'm sure everyone will visit."

Blair still didn't look happy with the idea of having to say goodbye to everyone. "But you'll all be gone so soon."

"Hey, we've got a few weeks left." Konami said as he stood up and opened the door. "Why don't we make the most of it? How about a walk around the campus?"

Blair looked at her partner surprised that he was willing to go out so early. "But you hate going on morning walks."

"True. But you love them and always wanted to go on one when the campus would be quite." Konami quickly adopted a comically hurt and offended voice. "Are you rejecting my offer?"

Blair couldn't help but smile despite herself. "Of course not, you dork!"

"Then," Konami said offering out his arm, "milady?"

Blair blushed remembering the silly routine she made him go through during the Duel Carnival. She made him dress as Gaia the Fierce Knight to match her Maiden in Love costume. Reaching up and grabbing his arm she simply replied, "Milord."

(Later on)

The team walked around the campus, making small talk about mundane things from classes to Blair's new special recipe. After a while they fell into silence. Blair seemed content on just enjoying her partners company. Meanwhile, Konami didn't mind this as it gave him a chance to look at the beauty of the island in peace. He was definitely going to miss the island. Not as much as he was going to miss exploring the island with Blair though.

She had always wanted to go on a walk like this with Jaden as it would be "super romantic". He mightn't be Jaden but he hope she would like the walk all the same. It wasn't really his thing being out and about early on, however anything would be worth it to improve Blair's mood.

"Come on, Alexis. Gimme a smile!"

The loud voice of a certain Ra Yellow broke that peaceful silence. Konami looked over at the Ra dorm to see Tyranno holding up a camera with a goofy grin on his face.

Alexis looked up from the book she was reading. She seemed taken aback by having a camera in her face but quickly recovered. "Hm? Oh, sure …." She said flashing an effortlessly charming smile.

"Say 'Pterandon'!"

"…Huh? What's that?" Alexis asked her smile changing to a look of confusion.

"That's what my family always say when we take pictures!"

"Oh, of course …." The Queen of the Obelisks replied looking slightly exasperated with her friend's antics, before she smiled again.

"Oh hi, Konami! Hi Blair!" Tyranno said waving as his friends came into view. "I was just looking for you two! I'm going around and taking photos of everyone for the yearbook."

"Year … book ….." Blair said as the sad look returned to her face.

"That's right! So of course I need a shot of you two! You're going to be in the graduation tag duel after all! I'm going around and taking photos of everyone for the yearbook."

"Uh …. OK ….." Blair weakly replied.

Tyranno looked at Blair with a slightly worried look on his face. "What's wrong? You don't look so happy, Blair."

"Oh, I was just thinking about how everyone's going to be graduating….. I've had such a good time with everyone ….. Once you guys graduate, it's not gonna be the same around here….." Blair sounded so downtrodden at the last bit. Most of her friends would be leaving her in a few weeks, moving on with their lives, while she was stuck behind at Duel Academy.

"Yeah," Konami said eager to keep her from worrying about next year, "maybe there will be less weirdoes and nut jobs around the place."

"I think I understand …. With our graduation coming up, the whole place is sort of in a sad mood." Alexis murmured, brushing off Konami's joke completely. Her and Blair mightn't have seen eye to eye on many things but she could still sympathise with her concerns.

"Yeah …"

Suddenly Tyranno broke into a big grin. "Wait, I have a good idea!"

"Please tell me it doesn't involve looking for dinosaur fossils again?" Konami asked, shuddering at the thought of having to run around the school digging up holes again.

"No, no, Commander!" Tyranno shouted before seeming to reconsider. "Although I've heard rumours of-"

"No!" Red Hat yelled. His back was still hadn't recover from Tyranno's last expedition. "No. Please just say your plan."

Tyranno momentarily pouted before regaining his composure. "Why don't you have one last duel with everyone? For old time's sake! I'm sure everyone would be happy to duel you! Especially since you were chosen to be in the graduation tag duel! Blair, you haven't had many duels with the graduating students, right? Then this is the perfect opportunity!"

Blair seemed the light up at the Dino enthusiast's suggestion.

"That's a great idea!"Alexis said. "I think it'll be a great opportunity for the graduating students too."

"Definitely!" Konami agreed. "You can say more with your dueling than you can with just words. You can reach the hearts of everyone with a duel and create a memory that'll last a lifetime with them."

"…..OK! I'll duel with everyone! A duel is the perfect way to say goodbye!" Blair happily declared as Konami smiled at seeing his partner regaining her pep. "All though I want them to be Tag Duels. Konami, will you help me?"

Konami nodded his head. "Do you even need to ask?"

"That's the spirit!" Tyranno yelled, getting caught up in the moment. "Let's not waste any time …. How about starting with the people right in front of you?"

"Hm…..? You mean us?" Alexis asked, slightly caught off guard by the suddenness of the proposition.

"Yes! Will you duel me, Alexis?"

"…..Sure. Of course I will." Alexis replied with a smile. "I just said it was a great idea. I can't very well turn you down, can I? Plus, I wanted to see how strong the female underclassmen have become, as well as how strong a team you and Konami are again before the graduation duel!"

Tryanno threw his fists in the air. "Sounds good to me!"

"Yes! Thank you both!"

"Time to get this duel started!" Konami yelled as his eyes momentarily shifted from blue to red.

 **TURN 1 – TYRANNO &ALEXIS 8000LP VS KONAMI&BLAIR 8000LP**

"I'll start things off." Tyranno said drawing his card. "First I'll special summon Gilasauras in Attack Mode." A small brown dinosaur appeared in front of the Ra. (ATK: 1400). "Next I'll tribute that to summon the Level 6 Dark Driceratops in Attack Mode!" (ATK: 2400). The brown dinosaur quickly disappeared to be replaced by a larger, feathery one. "I'll play two cards face down and end my turn."

 **TURN 2 – BLAIR &KONAMI 8000LP VS TYRANNO&ALEXIS 8000LP**

' _He's holding nothing back,_ ' Konami thought happily, ' _this is gonna be good._ '

"Draw." Blair shouted. "I'll summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin in Attack Mode!" A white haired female in white armour rose up to stare at the dinosaur that stood before her. (ATK: 1800). "Next I'll equip Lightsworn Sabre to her to give her an extra 700 Attack Points." (ATK: 2500). "Now Jain attack his Dark Driceratops. Her effect activates and she gains an extra 300 Attack Points.

The white haired paladin swung her sabre and cut through Tyranno's Monster, causing him 400 points of damage.

"I'll activate Foolish Burial and send Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior from my deck to the Graveyard. Jain's effect also sends the top two cards of my deck to the grave. With that I end my turn."

 **TURN 3 – TYRANNO &ALEXIS 7600LP VS KONAMI&BLAIR 8000LP**

"Heh. Not bad Blair." Alexis said drawing her card. "But not good enough. I'll summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1400). "I'll use its effect and add machine Angel Ritual to my hand. I'll use it and offer up my Manju and Etoile Cyber as tribute to Ritual Summon Cyber Angel – Dakini in Attack Mode."

An altar rose from the duel field with candles around it. One by one they lit up until the last one engulfed the altar in flames. The elegant yet intimidating four armed figure of Dakini rose from the centre of the flame. (ATK: 2700).

' _Oh Ra!_ ' Konami thought, knowing what would happen next.

"Dakini's effect activates. When she's ritual summoned, you have to send one Monster you control to the Graveyard. And since you only have Jain, she's gone!"

Blair flinched as her Monster and Spell were both destroyed be one fell swoop of Dakini's swords. She was wide open for an attack now.

"Go, Dakini! Attack Blair directly!" The Ritual Monster swung her weapons. Blair was knocked down due to the force of all that direct damage. "With that I'll end my turn."

 **TURN 4 – BLAIR &KONAMI 5300LP VS TYRANNO&ALEXIS 7600LP**

"Hey, Blair." Konami called out as she slowly got back to her feet. "You alright? That was a fair bit of damage."

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine." She said standing upright again. "It's gonna take more than that to keep this Maiden in Love down."

Konami drew his card as he plotted his turn out. "I'll activate Lighting Vortex by sending my Masked Dragon to the Graveyard." A lightning bolt came crashing down on the field destroying Alexis' ace Monster. Her frown showed how annoyed by this she was. "Now I'll summon my Twin Headed Behemoth in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1500). A two headed dragon emerged from the light, swooping down before landing on Konami's side of the field. "Go! Attack Alexis directly." The beast swung his claws at the blonde causing her to raise her arms to cover up. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

 **TURN 5 – TYRANNO &ALEXIS 6100LP VS KONAMI&BLAIR 5300LP**

"Things are picking up now, Commander!" Tyranno happily yelled, drawing. "I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon on your face down!" Konami's Dark Bribe was blown away in the winds. "Now that I have that out of the way I can use Pot of Greed worry free. Next I'll special summon my second Gilasauras from my hand. This lets you summon a Monster from you're Graveyard."

"Well," Konami said, "I'll bring back Garoth." The Lightsworn Warrior re-emerged on the field from the Graveyard.

"Hah! Perfect!" Tyranno roared. "I activate my face down Trap card Hunting Instinct. You remember what this does, right Commander? When you special summon a Monster, it allows me to special summon a Dino from my hand!" The Ra's eyes turned to slits as he special summoned his Super Conductor Tyranno. (ATK: 3300). "Next I'll summon Destroyasurus in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1800).

"This is gonna hurt." Konami said as his friend moved into his Battle Phase.

"First, Super Conductor attack Garoth!" The Warrior tried to put up a fight but was quickly caught in the Dinosaur's mouth. He quickly disappeared into pixels. "Next, Destroyasurus attacks Twin Headed Behemoth!" The Dino charged at the Dragon knocking it back against the wall, causing the Monster to shatter. "Finally, Gilasauras attacks directly!" The brown dinosaur swiped its tail at Konami sending him flying into the air. He landed in a heap on the ground, his hat flying off his head. "I'll end my turn!"

 **TURN 6 – BLAIR &KONAMI 2100LP VS TYRANNO&ALEXIS 6100LP**

"Konami!" Blair gasped. "Are you alright?"

"UUUHHHHH….."

"Well ….. Close enough I guess. Draw." Blair said moving on with the duel. "I'll set one Monster and play one face down and end my turn."

 **TURN 7 – TYRANNO &ALEXIS 6100LP VS KONAMI&BLAIR 2100LP**

Alexis drew her card "I'll attack your face down with Destroyasurus." Unfortunately for her, Blair's face down was Marshmallon causing her 1000 points of damage. "Heh. I'll pay back right away by activating Super Conductor's effect. I'll tribute Gilasauras to inflict 1000 points of damage. I'll end my turn with a face down."

 **TURN 8– BLAIR &KONAMI 1100LP VS TYRANNO&ALEXIS 5100LP**

'Super _Conductor will be able to whittle away our Life Points as long as he's on the field._ ' Konami thought as he drew his card having recovered from his run in with the dinosaur. ' _And I know just how to take his Monster down._ '

"I'll summon Exploder Dragon in Attack Mode!" (ATK: 1000). "I'll have attack Super Conductor!"

"Nice try, Red Hat." Alexis said. "But you'll have to do better than that. I activate Negate Attack."

"Drat." Konami said. Looking at the cards in his hands there was nothing else he could do. "I'll end my turn."

 **TURN 9 – TYRANNO &ALEXIS 5100LP VS KONAMI&BLAIR 1100LP**

Tyranno quickly drew his card. "I'll attack your Exploder Dragon with Destroyasurus."

"Not so fast! I'll activate Blair's face down Spirit Barrier. Now as long as there are Monsters on our side of the field we can't take damage from Battle. Not only that, but Exploder Dragon's effect will take Destroyasurus with him."

Both the Dinosaur and Dragon disappeared into the thick fog brought about by the explosion. When it cleared, they were both gone. Tyranno had no monsters that he could sacrifice for Super Conductor's effect.

"I'll end my turn with a face down then."

 **TURN 10 – BLAIR &KONAMI 1100LP VS TYRANNO&ALEXIS 5100LP**

Blair placed her hand on her deck as she prepared to draw. She needed what Konami had often called a "Destiny Draw". She drew her card and smiled. It appears that destiny was on her side.

"As I have four different Lightsworn Monsters in my Graveyard (Jain, Garoth, Lyla and Wulf) I can special summon Judgement Dragon from my hand in Attack Mode." (ATK: 3000).

The majestic white feathered dragon descended down from the light high above the duel field. Even staff and other students had their attention drawn to the creature. It landed softly on the field in front of Blair.

"I'll activate his effect. By paying 1000 LPs I can destroy every other card on the field. Go, Divine Judgement!" The Dragon took to the air once more waving his wings as all the other cards on the field crumbled to pieces due to the force of the winds. Once everything was cleared from the field Blair yelled, "Now attack them directly." The beast aimed his winds at Tyranno this time, nearly sending him flying backwards. "I'll play one face down and end my turn."

 **TURN 11 – TYRANNO &ALEXIS 2100LP VS KONAMI&BLAIR 100LP**

' _Ugh…. We're in trouble here._ ' Alexis thought as she drew her card. She sighed seeing that her options were limited. "I'll set one Monster face down and end my turn."

 **TURN 12– BLAIR &KONAMI 100LP VS TYRANNO&ALEXIS 2100LP**

"Draw. I'll activate my Foolish Burial to send Light Effigy to the Graveyard. Next I'll activate Blair's Call of the Haunted to bring it back. I'll then sacrifice it, treating it as two tributes, to summon my ace Monster, the legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Clouds suddenly formed over head. A blue light cut through the clouds, tearing them asunder. A white Dragon slowly lowered down emerging from the hole in the clouds.

"I'll attack your face down with Judgement Dragon!" The face down Etoile Cyber was no match for the deadly winds of Judgement Dragon. "Go, Blue Eyes! End this with White Lightning!" Konami's ace card reduced the opposition's LPs to zero.

 **BLAIR &KONAMI 100LP (WIN) VS TYRANNO&ALEXIS 2100LP (LOSE)**

Alexis sighed heavily. Another loss to the team of Blair and Konami. As frustrating as losing was, this only made her more excited for the graduation duel.

"Urgh! We lost!" Tyranno said slumping to the ground. "Ol' Blue Eyes again!"

Alexis walked across the field before offering her hand out to Blair. "You've really improved. I guess I don't have to worry about leaving the Academy to you."

Blair just stood there looking down at her feet, unable to meet Alexis' eyes. She took a deep breath before looking at Alexis. "….. Alexis ….. I'm …. I'm sorry for everything."

The other three looked completely baffled by what was going on. Tyranno went to say something before Konami raised his hand to stop him. Alexis and Blair needed to bury the hatchet on whatever their problems were.

Blair continued on looking to explain herself. "I've caused you a lot of problems because of silly misunderstandings …"

"… Oh, you're talking about Zane." Alexis said. "Don't worry that was years ago. It's all water under the bridge."

Blair started scuffing her boots on the floor. "And it wasn't just once, either ….."

"You mean Jaden?"

"But you were always so kind to me, even when I was being selfish …" Blair looked on the verge of tears as she thought of everything she had done to annoy her upperclassmen over the years. She bowed before saying with completely sincerity, "I'm so sorry."

Alexis stood still for a brief moment looking lost for words. She had never expected Blair to ever apologise to her. She decided that it was time she told Blair something that was long overdue as well. "I was always a little jealous of you, to tell you the truth."

Blair raised her head back up looking. That sentence was at the top of a long list of things that she never thought Alexis would say. "Huh?"

The older Obelisk smiled as she opened up to her ex-rival. "You always seem to be able to act on how you feel …. You don't let anything get in your way. Remember how you came to meet Zane before entering the Academy? Most people wouldn't have the guts to try something like that. If it were me, I think I'd have too many thoughts running through my head, stopping me from actually doing anything. ….Being able to come right out and say you like something or someone ….. I think it's really great. And I hope you never lose that ability…"

"Thank you for everything, Alexis."

The two Obelisks hugged as they shed a few tears. Alexis whispered in a voice so low only Blair could hear her, "Really, for Konami's sake I hope you never lose that ability." Blair blushed once she heard that and pulled back to see Alexis give her a knowing look.

Konami stood beside Tyranno, out of earshot, smiling at the sight of his two friends. The sight of them finally reconciling their differences left a warm feeling his heart. ' _You've really grown up over the years, huh Blair?_ ' The thought of not being able to watch her continue to improve and change next year slightly stung but he knew that he was just being selfish. If you love something let it go, right?

Konami's train of thought was derailed by a massive hug from Tyranno. "I'm sorry too, Commander!"

The Ra's bear hug left the Slifer struggling for air. "What are you apologising for, Tyranno?"

"For always arguing about who Jaden's best partner was!" he yelled trying to hold back his tears. "It was clearly you. You helped him against the Shadow Riders, Society of Light and you brought him back from the other dimension. You're the best!"

Konami smiled as looked at his friend. Sighing softly he said, "I'm sorry as well, Tyranno. Going fossil hunting with you wasn't all that bad. In fact, I really enjoyed. I'm sorry I gave you so much stick for it."

The Ra let go of the Slifer and quickly turned his back on him. "Sorry, Commander." He got out through a few sniffs with his voice cracking slightly. "I think Truesdale is calling me! Have to go!"

Tyranno ran off barely holding back his tears, leaving Konami on his own. He turned back to his friends. Blair looked so happy to have finally made peace with Alexis and was positively glowing. Konami just stood there taking a mental picture. Even when he left he never wanted to forget Blair's smile. So for the next few weeks he'd do whatever it took to keep that smile there.

"Why don't you just take a picture? It'll last longer!"

Red Hat turned to see Atticus stride over to him. He was smiling with his signature goofy grin. Thankfully there were no more Obelisk girls with him, something Konami had become extremely wary of since the incident with Wisteria. All that was different was that he was holding a small envelope in his hands.

"What's up, Atticus?"

"Oh. Not much. I was just looking for Tyranno to give him some photos for the yearbook but I just saw him running away from here." He sighed in a dramatic. "Oh well. It might as well not waste my trip here. There's a photo here that I thought you would like. So you can consider everything in this envelope an early graduation present."

Konami took the envelope from his friend before he opened it and pulled out the picture out. Once he saw the photo he immediately went to object, however he stopped himself. There was no point lying to Atticus. He knew Konami would love this picture of Blair holding his hands back before she went to confess to Jaden.

Konami looked up to see Atticus already walking away. "Hey, Atty." He called out. "Thanks."

Atticus merely gave him a thumbs up as he continued on his walk. Konami soon realised the photo wasn't the only thing in the envelope. ' _There's no way he actually meant to give me these._ ' He quickly looked around to see where the Obelisk went. However, Atticus was nowhere to be found. Konami looked back down at the cards in the envelope. He heard a faint happy growl coming from them.

Pulling the edge of his hat lower, Konami let out a few tears. He was going to miss everyone, no doubt about it. For the last few weeks at least he was going to enjoy every last second of his time here.

 **{A/N}**

 **Just to say thanks to everyone who read, favourite, followed or reviewed the story. Much appreciated. Thanks for the support. I'll I'm working on putting duels in these stories because the duels are a big part of the reason Blair does what she does with the whole creating memories bit. I'm worried they may be the weaker part of my writing so let me know how ye find them. This chapter is by far the longest one thanks to the duel so feel free to let me know if you thinks it works or not. Thanks again.**


	4. Chapter 4

Just a disclaimer to say, that Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't belong to me. All characters are owned by others. I'm merely using them in this fanfic for fun.

 **A Maiden's Quest – Heart Four**

Blair made the familiar walk up the stairs to Room 204 again. She intended to have Konami help her take some more pictures of graduating students. She approached to see the already open door to see her partner at his desk again, frantically searching through all his cards. His room was a mess with pieces of paper scattered everywhere.

"Um…. Konami?" She asked trying to get his attention. The boy turned his face to her and smiled despite looking extremely worried. "What's the matter?"

"Deck building." He answered. "Now where did I put that extra Call of the Haunted?"

"Why are you so worried about your deck?" Blair asked as she picked up a piece of paper to find it had a deck recipe on it. "Isn't your current one good enough?"

Konami held out a letter. "Got this a few hours ago."

Blair took the letter and started to read. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. It was from Seto Kaiba himself. Blair continued reading the letter, to realise it was a compliant over his use of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Kaiba also claimed Pegasus most have printed it with his knowledge to mess with him. Further use of it, Kaiba warned, would see him barred from any tournaments sponsored by Kaiba Corp.

"Huh." Blair said once she finished reading it. "Is he allowed do this? Isn't this against the rules or something?"

Konami responded with a simple raise of an eyebrow. Blair nodded, realising the probable answer to this question. "At least it's not all bad news." Konami said. "I've got Kaiba's autograph now!"

Blair just laughed at her friends up beat response. "You're such a fanboy!"

"Still it is worrying that I have to build a new deck. This could take a while."

"Well, how long have you been at it so far?"

Konami thought about that for a few seconds. "Since about 4AM."

"OK, that's it Konami." She said walking over to him and grabbing him by the back of his shirt. "It's time for you to take a break from this. And you're in luck, we have something to do. I've been helping Hassleberry with the yearbook. There are some people I need to take pictures of, so we can go do this now."

"Come on, Blair!" the Slifer whined. "This is super important! I have to build an awesome deck!"

"And how good do you think a deck will be if you make it half asleep?" Blair asked, not letting go of her partner. "Besides, isn't it the job of a Knight to help out his Maiden?"

Konami blushed slightly at that. "Don't phrase it like that. It makes it sound like we're…"

Blair's face heated up when she realised what he meant. She pulled her partner out of the room despite his protests of needing to complete his deck. The Obelisk was determined to spend their last few weeks as partners doing something together and, knowing how Konami could be when it came to deck building, she wasn't going to let him spend all his time shut in his room battle testing his deck.

As they made their way down the stairs, Blair saw someone whose photo she had yet to take. "Chazz!" she called out.

The black haired boy turned to face her, barely hiding a sneer. "…..? Oh, it's you. It's been one busy day after another for me since I turned Pro, but….." He gave the team a quick look up and down. "You guys seem to be doing nothing at all!"

Blair took a step back offended. "W-we're busy too! I'm taking pictures for the yearbook."

"You're not going to try and take MY picture are you?" Chazz asked, not trying to hide his sneer or the disdain in his voice now.

"I – I thought I might!" Blair said looking surprised at Chazz's reaction. "It is your yearbook after all. Don't you want to be in it!?"

"Of course I do!" Chazz said. "And all my fans demand I be in it too! But a picture of a Pro duelist is as valuable as money itself! I can't let you just take my picture for free!"

Konami knew these two never saw eye to eye but Chazz was being unbelievably petty here. He could see that Blair started to shake from the rage over Chazz's attitude. He quickly went to calm her down before the situation got out of hand.

"You're the worst! You never change!" Blair yelled, letting out all her frustrations at the rich boy. "And I was trying to be nice and not get mad at you, too! Who cares if you're a Pro now!? Stop showing off! Chazz!"

Chazz looked taken aback before settling on a snarl. "Why you …! It's "The Chazz" to you!"

' _Well,_ ' Konami thought to himself, ' _there goes any chance of solving this peacefully._ '

"Duel me!" Blair yelled. "If I win, you have to let me take your picture!"

Chazz laughed. "You're actually challenging a Pro duelist? …Very well! But if you lose ….. You have to do the chores for my fan club!"

Blair flinched at the thought of having to do that deeming work. "Ugh….. Oh, all right! But it's going to be a tag duel!"

"Sounds good. Hey Konami! If you lose, you'll have to do chores for my fan club too!"

Konami suddenly went pale. "Wait, Chazz! Isn't Wisteria a part of your fan club now!?"

"She sure is! She recognised the greatness that is the Chazz! Why?"

Konami quickly turned to face Blair. "We can't lose. I can't deal with Wisteria."

Her partner's strange antics momentarily brought Blair's attention away from Chazz. "Why?"

"She's still mad at me." Konami explained, his eyes wide with fear.

"C'mon, Konami." Blair said not understanding her friends concern. "Surely it can't be that bad."

"No! Next time she sees me, she said she'll cut my….cut my… cut my hat into tiny pieces." Konami said, nearly started crying at the thought of being separated from his precious hat.

Blair sighed at her friend's antics before quickly turning her attention back to Chazz. "Who's your partner?"

"Humph! I'm a Pro! Anyone is fine! … Him!" Chazz pointed at Bastion, who had just been standing there waiting for someone to acknowledge him.

"Bastion!?" Konami said extremely confused. "When did you get here!?"

"I've been here the entire time!" The Ra shouted.

"….I thought you were in the other dimension with-"

"That's enough stalling, slacker!" Chazz yelled. "Time to show you what a Pro can do!"

"All right then! Come on, Chazz! This will be our last duel ever!" Blair shouted.

Chazz let out a frustrated roar. "It's "The Chazz" to you!"

"It's time to duel!" Konami yelled as his eyes flashed red.

 **TURN 1 – BLAIR &KONAMI 8000LP VS CHAZZ&BASTION 8000LP**

"I'll start. Draw!" Blair yelled. "I'll Summon Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1700).

A raven haired woman dressed in white robes appeared on the field. She was the epitome of elegance and grace as she softly landed on the ground.

"I'll play one card face down and end my turn. Due to Lyla's effect I send the top two cards of my deck to grave." Blair sent Garoth and Card Destruction to the Graveyard.

 **TURN 2 – CHAZZ &BASTION 8000LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 8000LP**

"Ha! Not a bad move … for a slacker!" Chazz shouted, with a sneer on his face. "I'll show you how it's done!" Chazz grimaced when he realised his hand didn't back up his trash talk. "I'll set one Monster face down and set a card. I'll end my turn."

 **TURN 3 – BLAIR &KONAMI 8000LP VS CHAZZ&BASTION 8000LP**

"So much for showing us how it's done." Konami said, drawing his card. "I'll Summon Luster Dragon in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1900).

A blue Dragon appeared on Konami's side of the field beside Lyla. It roared as it saw the face down Monster.

"Looks like my Dragon can't wait to Attack. And I won't hold it back. Go, Luster Dragon, Attack his face down!" The blue Dragon rushed forward and slashed the Monster, revealing it to be Masked Dragon.

Chazz smirked as he explained his strategy. "I'll activate my Monster's effect and special Armed Dragon LV3 in Attack Mode!" (ATK: 1200).

An orange Dragon rose from the shattered remains of the Masked Dragon, roaring once it appeared on the field.

"I t won't be there for long." Konami said. "I'll Attack it with Lyla. Go, wipe out his Monster." Lyla shot a ball of light at the Dragon causing it to explode. Chazz raised his arms to protect himself. "I'll end my turn with one face down. Lyla sends the top two cards of my deck to the Graveyard." A second Luster Dragon and an Exploder Dragon where placed in Konami's Graveyard.

 **TURN 4 – CHAZZ &BASTION 7500LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 8000LP**

"My move. Draw!" Bastion shouted. "I'll activate Foolish Burial to send a Batteryman AA to the Graveyard. Next, I'll activate Premature Burial by paying 800LP and revive that Batteryman in Attack Mode. Next, I'll Summon another Batteryman AA, also in Attack Mode." (ATK: 0).

Two short orange men with batteries for torsos appeared on the field. They both suddenly doubled in size.

"What?" Konami asked confused. "Was there a glitch in the hologram system?"

"No, no, no, Konami, old pal." Bastion explained. "When all the Batterymen AA on my side of the field are in Attack Mode, they gain 1000 Attack Points. As there are two of them they both go up to 2000 Attack Points."

"Ah. Not good." Blair said.

"Not good indeed." Bastion said. "I'll have my Batterymen Attack both your Luster Dragon and Lyla." The two orange men ran at their opponents before electrocuting them. The two Monsters smashed into pixels. "With that I'll end my turn."

 **TURN 5 – BLAIR &KONAMI 7600LP VS CHAZZ&BASTION 6700LP**

"Heh. That was a good move." Blair conceded. "But I'll just have to up my game. First, from my hand I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon on your Premature Burial, destroying one of your Batterymen."

"Ah. No!" Bastion exclaimed as one of his orange men were blown away. His remaining Batteryman saw its Attack Points drop to 1000.

"Next, I'll Summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin in Attack Mode!" (ATK: 1800).

A white haired knight rose from the light to stand confidently on the field. Batteryman looked back at Bation visibly worried about what would happen next.

"Now, my Jain will Attack your Batteryman AA. When she does she'll gain 300 Attack Points, raising her Attack to 2100." The paladin's sword cut through the small orange man. Bastion raised his duel disk to block the shattered Monster's pixels. "I'll end my turn by sending the top two cards of my deck to the Graveyard due to Jain's effect." Monster Reincarnation and Lumina were sent to the Graveyard.

 **TURN 6 – CHAZZ &BASTION 5600LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 7600LP**

"Gggrrrrrrrr!" Chazz growled. How could a Pro like him been shown up so far like this? "Draw. Oh, great! You!"

Konami stood there as he saw a small, strange bikini bottom wearing figure appear over Chazz's shoulder. " _Come on, boss. I'll get ya out of this mess! Let me at 'em!_ "

"Fine." Chazz barked. "I'll activate Polymerization and fuse my Ojama Yellow with my King of the Swamp to Summon Ojama Knight in Defence Mode!" (DEF: 2500).

A small knight in clunky looking armour appeared on the field, with its yellow antenna like eye sockets poking out of the eye holes.

"Not only will he act like a defensive wall for me," Chazz said, his smug smirk firmly back on his face, "he'll also stop you Summoning in two of your Monster Zones. With that I'll end my turn, with a face down."

 **TURN 7 – BLAIR &KONAMI 7600LP VS CHAZZ&BASTION 5600LP**

' _Huh. I'll need to think of something to stop that Ojama from locking us down completely._ ' Konami thought as he drew his card. ' _I've nothing that can take him out this turn. But Dandylion could be helpful later on and Double or Nothing could be handy to have around._ '

"I'll Summon Masked Dragon in Attack Mode and I'll end my turn." (ATK: 1400).

"Not so fast!" Chazz yelled. "I'll activate my Ring of Destruction on your Jain, Lightsworn Paladin destroying that and inflicting its Attack Points to both of us as damage."

"However, I'll activate my Ring of Defence, stopping us from taking any damage!" Bastion yelled.

"Oh, great!" Konami yelled as the ring locked itself around Jain's neck before detonating.

' _For two guys who don't like each other, they sure just pulled off a good combo there._ ' Konami thought.

 **TURN 8 – CHAZZ &BASTION 5600LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 5800LP**

"My turn. Draw!" Bation yelled. "I'll activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Batteryman AA. Next, I'll use him to Tribute Summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch in Attack Mode!" (ATK: 2400).

Suddenly the sky above turned dark grey as thunder rumbled in the sky overhead. A lightning bolt hit the revealing a gigantic armour clad Monster with green hair.

"When my Zaborg is Tribute Summoned, I can select one Monster on the field and destroy it. As you only have one I'll destroy your Masked Dragon." The monarch swung its titanic fist as it smashed the Dragon into the ground.

' _Oh, Ra!_ ' Konami thought to himself. ' _We're wide open._ '

"Go, Zaborg! Attack Konami directly!" The titanic Monster swung its fist once again as Konami dove out of the way to avoid the brunt of its impact. He still was left shaken by the blow.

"With that I'll end my turn with two face downs."

 **TURN 9 – BLAIR &KONAMI 3400LP VS CHAZZ&BASTION 5600LP**

"We're in a tough spot here, Blair." Konami said looking over at his partner.

Blair smiled as she responded with, "How many times have you said that over the years?"

Chazz started laughing as he reminded them what was at stake. "Remember if you lose, you have to do the chores for my fan club."

Konami shuddered as Blair drew her card. ' _Nothing to make a comeback with, but it'll see us to next turn._ ' "I'll set one card face down and set one reverse card as well. I end my turn."

"I'll activate the Call of the Haunted that Bastion set to bring back my Armed Dragon LV3." Chazz declared, seeing his small orange Dragon reappear on the field.

 **TURN 10 – CHAZZ &BASTION 5600LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 5800LP**

"Ha! Now that we've entered my Standby Phase, I'll level up my Armed Dragon LV3 to LV5!" The small orange Dragon faded into the light as it grew and gave rise to a much larger red Dragon. "Now I'll activate Level Up to turn LV5 into LV7!" The red dragon quickly disappeared back into the light as another even larger Dragon again took its place. (ATK: 2800).

"Uh oh….." Konami exclaimed.

"Bit of understatement there, slacker!" Chazz yelled. "Now, Armed Dragon Attack their face down! Armed Punisher!"

Konami looked over at Blair, hoping that she had a plan. She gave him a reassuring smile as the Armed Dragon hit her Marshmallon.

"Now, not only is my Marshmallon not destroyed, you also take 1000 points of Damage." Blair said.

"Heh. Big whoop." Chazz shouted back. "Not like that small fry will be around for too much longer. I'll activate Armed Dragon's effect. I'll discard Armed Dragon LV3 to destroy your Marshmallon." The Dragon swung its claw once more as it finally cut through the small creature. "With that I'll end my turn.

 **TURN 11 – BLAIR &KONAMI 3400LP VS CHAZZ&BASTION 4600LP**

"Snip, snip, snip, Konami. I can hear the sound of Wisteria's scissors approaching." Chazz taunted as Red Hat drew his card.

Konami looked at the Blue Eyes he drew with a determination on his face. "You know, Chazz, you can joke about a lot of things but when you joke about my hat being destroyed, you've crossed a line! I'll activate the Jar of Greed that Blair set last turn to draw a card."

Konami looked at the Pot of Greed he drew. He quickly activated it. ' _I need to draw a card from this that helps me Summon Blue Eyes. Otherwise, we're toast. Time for a Destiny Draw!_ '

Konami drew his two cards with his eyes closed. He opened them to see what he had drawn and couldn't hold back his grin.

"Alright, here we go!" He yelled. "First of all, I'll activate Lighting Vortex. By discarding my Dandylion from hand I can destroy all the face up Monsters on your side of the field."

"What!? No!" Chazz and Bastion yelled in unison, as all they're Monsters were destroyed.

"Now because my Dandylion was sent to the Graveyard I can Summon Two Fluff Tokens." Two small baby Dandylions appeared in front of Konami. "But they won't be hanging around for long, because I'm using them as tribute to Summon my ace Monster, the legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Once again, clouds suddenly formed over head. A blue light cut through the clouds, tearing them asunder. A white Dragon slowly lowered down emerging from the hole in the clouds, letting out a vicious roar as it did so.

"Now, Attack Blue Eyes! White Lightning!" Konami yelled.

"Not so fast slacker!" Chazz interrupted. "I'll activate the Negate Attack that Bastion set last turn to stop your Attack. You're going to have to do better than that against a Pro like me!"

Konami's grin grew wider. "Don't worry, Chazz. I got more than just that in me. I'll activate the Double or Nothing card in my hand. When a Monster of mine has its Attack negated, I can have that Monster Attack again with its Attack Points doubled."

"What!?" Chazz said, going a shade paler than normal.

"Go, Blue Eyes! End this with a double powered White Lighting!" Konami roared once more.

The vicious Dragon let out a blast of white energy that blew Chazz away, causing a massive explosion on the Duel Field.

"That's game!" Konami said.

 **BLAIR &KONAMI 3400LP (WIN) VS CHAZZ&BASTION 0000LP (LOSE)**

"Grrr ….. I can't believe it!"Chazz was spitting with fury.

"Not bad, huh?" Blair said, sounding smug.

"W-Well of course I lost! It was two against one! But I'm a man of my word! I may have had a terrible handicap but a loss is a loss! Go ahead and take your picture!" Chazz looked back at the door to his room before continuing on. "By the way … You can have my room if you want!"

"Hm…..?" That was all Blair could murmur in response. Konami was also shocked beyond words. This was undoubtedly the nicest Chazz had ever been to Blair since she first came to the school.

"I was going to tear it down before I left, but ….. It looks like you're still using it, so ….. I changed my mind!" Chazz sounded hesitant at first but seemed genuine in his desire to give Blair his room.

Blair looked down at her feet and started scuffing her feet again. "Chazz …. Um ….. Ever since I first met you, I … Well, I've been kind of harsh on you …. I'm sorry ….. Take today, for example, I knew I had to take a picture for the yearbook, so I was gonna try and make you smile … I didn't want to make you angry …. I …. I'm sorry about before ….. About saying that this would be our last duel …. I would love to duel you again someday!"

Chazz looked like he was completely caught off guard by the sincerity of Blair's apology. He turned to face Konami. "Hey! Since I've been here I've improved a lot as a duelist. My connection to my cards has improved. I appreciate them and respect that it's not just absolute power that can win you the duel. If it wasn't for you and Jaden pushing me to realise this and being worthy rivals for me to keep me striving to improve, I mightn't have come as far as I have! But don't think this is the end for me! Because "The Chazz" is only going to keep improving! And I'm going to face you again on the Pro Circuit! Next time, I'll win!"

"U-Uhh? Chazz?" Konami started before the Pro duelist turned back to the Obelisk girl.

"*ahem*! Hey! What're you standing around for!?" He shouted before breaking into an unusual soft smile. "I thought you came to take my picture! I'll make an exception for today only! Take as many shots of the future King of Games as you like! Just make sure I look good! Got it?"

"S-Sure! Thanks!" Blair said as she readied her camera. "I'll do my best to make you look great! Hey you! Bastion! Get in the picture too!"

As Bastion walked over, Konami held out his hand. "Hey, Bastion. I realised I never properly said thanks for all your help back when we were in first year. I definitely wouldn't have made it through all those classes without your help. I'm sorry I didn't pay you the attention you deserved or respected you as much as I should have. Sorry that that I let us drift apart after first year. I regret that."

Bastion had tears welling in his eyes as he pulled Konami in for a hug. The Slifer could hear the click of the camera as Blair took photos, while even Chazz gave Bastion an affectionate slap on the back. Konami threw his arms around both the other two duelists as Blair took a photo of the three of them. Their futures after Duel Academy were still uncertain, yet Red Hat knew one thing for certain. Everyone here has grown so much over the three years and he couldn't wait to see how much everyone would improve in the years to come.

Blair continued to take pictures of the three of them until the batteries started to go flat. The three boys left to go to the store to compete in a competition to see who had the best drawing power when it came to the sandwiches. Blair stayed behind to find some spare batteries in Konami's room, knowing that he always kept spare supplies there.

"Go!" Chazz yelled as the students dived at the pile of sandwiches to select their pick. "Ha! Lobster sandwich! Clearly I win!"

"Oh, I think not!" Bastion shouted, holding his Top Grade Salad sandwich high in the air. "It is obvious I am the victor here!"

Konami merely laughed at their antics, drawing the ire of them both.

"Hey! Slacker! What's so funny!?"

"Yes! Konami! Explain yourself!"

"Sorry boys." Konami said holding up his sandwich. "But read 'em and weep!"

Chazz and Bastion both took a step back before yelling in unison, "Ah! The Golden Egg Sandwich! That's not possible!"

Dorothy and Saddie watched the boys break out into a scuffle to get the sandwich. The two of them yelled frantically trying to stop them before they knocked any of the products over. Konami couldn't help but enjoy himself, despite the frantic battle. While he may be looking forward to the new duels and opponents that awaited him after school, he was terrified at the thought of leaving Duel Academy. He had grown so used to this place. What if the world outside wasn't as good as he hoped? What if he never meets any of his goals or fulfils any dreams out there? What if everyone just drifted apart once they left?

The thought of being away from all his friends hurt him more than he would openly admit. As much as he was dueling to create memories for Blair, it was also to have memories for himself. He worried about how Blair would do next year. Would she simply move on and find a new tag partner? Would she just forget about him? If he is successful in creating memories that last a lifetime in these next few weeks, than surely she'll remember him.

Until then, he was going to treasure the moments he could goof off and just be ridiculous like this. Who knew when he'd next get the chance to mess around like this again?

While all this was going on, Blair was searching through Konami's room. He had completely turned the place upside down with his deck building earlier. The spare batteries weren't in their normal shelf. Blair had searched everywhere she could think of without moving his cards and recipes. Eventually she moved things around as she rearranged and cleaned everything up. She picked up the sheet of paper containing a recipe for a Black Luster Soldier deck, when suddenly she knocked a framed photo off the desk.

Thankfully, Konami had thrown his clothes everywhere as well, meaning it had a soft landing. Blair picked up to check that nothing was broken when she realised what the photo was of. It was her and Konami holding hands the day they beat Jaden and Jesse. The sun was setting in the background and the photo was artistically taken. No doubt Atticus' work. Blair blushed as she looked at the photo. If she didn't know any better she would think she was looking at a picture of a couple.

And for some reason that she couldn't quite explain that idea didn't bother her. In fact it left a warm feeling in her heart. One that was stronger than what she felt for Zane or Jaden. A feeling that told her being with Konami was right. It was felt so natural. Blair hands started to shake and tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of losing Konami in a few weeks. It hurt so much. It felt like losing part of her. Why did the thought of losing him hurt so much more compared to everyone else? They were also her friends, so why didn't their departures hurt as much?

Suddenly, Alexis' words rung in ears as clear as the day she spoke them:

" _Being able to come right out and say you like something or someone ….. I think it's really great. And I hope you never lose that ability…Really, for Konami's sake, I hope you never lose that ability._ "

That's when it finally hit Blair. She wasn't sure when it happened or how long she had already known deep down. Everything from those weird awkward moments she had when she grabbed Konami's hands to the meaning of Alexis' words was completely clear now. Blair finally understood. She looked back down at the photo as she finally admitted it to herself.

' _I love Konami._ '

 **{A/N}**

 **Just to say thanks to everyone who favourited, followed, reviewed or read the story. Much appreciated. The next chapter might be a short enough one that'll come out fairly soon. Thanks so much again and I hope you enjoyed.**


	5. Chapter 5

Just a disclaimer to say, that Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't belong to me. All characters are owned by others. I'm merely using them in this fanfic for fun.

 **A Maiden's Quest – Heart Five**

The black clouds hung in the sky stopping any light reaching the Academy. A thick, dark fog covered the school resulting in Konami barely being able to see what was in front of him. Nightshroud's words cut through the darkness reminding him of where he was.

"Give up already. No matter how much you struggle, you cannot win!"

"….Ha." Konami muttered defiantly, struggling to get back to his feet. Nightshroud's last attack had sent him flying against the wall. "As if … I'd just … lie down …. and let you win!" He had one arm placed against his stomach, trying to push through the pain in his ribs.

"Soon, we'll leave this place." Jaden said as he stared down the Demonic being. "Earlier on, you said there were many things that we couldn't pass through. When that happens we have no choice but to keep moving on! In order to open our own futures!"

The robed figure just stared back in disgust. "You just don't get it. You indeed have the strength to fight, but the others don't."

"No. You're the one who doesn't understand!" Jaden yelled. "I don't have the strength to fight. To win, my heart was shrouded in darkness. My friends fell one by one. That is why you don't understand. All I can do is believe!"

"One person…. Doesn't have the power to keep fighting. Ah!" Konami said as he stood back up on his feet. "But…together…we can! If we support each other….. and believe in ourselves!"

"What is this belief nonsense you speak of?"

"The belief in the cards will never leave us alone! Friends fighting and friends cheering is a bond that can't be cut short by anything! And that's because this card holds an undeniable power!" Jaden said, holding up his Elemental Hero Neos.

"What are you saying?" Nightshroud yelled, frustrated by the Slifers resistance.

"You're underestimating," Konami said, struggling to keep upright, "our true power! The power of the bond between everyone's souls!"

"The bond between everyone's souls?" Nightshroud spat. "That's nothing more than a lie!"

"Guys! Can you hear me!?" Jaden asked, desperately hoping his friends would respond. "Can my voice reach you? Look! The card you grasp….. Just one is fine. You should have one. Using that card grasp the memories of those you've fought against. At first it's just a plain card without anything special. Though ….there's those you've fought against. Sorrow and joy that was shared among the people you fought against. Anger and hatred. Those memories were absorbed by the card. It's the history of your efforts! That's what we call a bond! So, believe in it! Remember your cards! The faces of those you fought against with those cards! Those are your true friends! When tough times come, if we believe in those cards that support our future, we will never have been alone! Don't fret over the future! We haven't carried out anything yet, have we!?"

As he spoke Konami thought back to everything that he and his friends had endured. The Shadow Riders, the Society of Light, the Other Dimension and Yubel. All of his own personal highs of great wins, to the pain of his crushing loss to Zane in First Year and his other losses. All his tag duels with Blair and Jaden. Throughout all those experiences he was never alone. Just like how even now, he and Jaden were not alone. He could still feel his friends from the World of Darkness.

Nightshroud looked stunned by Jaden's actions. Konami took this moment to speak up. "Blair! Ah! You better not… be ignoring me! Don't give up! Never give up… until the end!"

"Jaden…" Chazz said in the World of Darkness. "Just now Jaden and Konami's voices."

"I heard them…." Syrus responded.

"Jaden…." Alexis whispered.

"Konami?" Blair murmured weakly.

"That's right …. We haven't carried out anything yet….. We have no reason to fear the future. Even if I lose, I'll just try again." Chazz said, standing up against the darkness holding him down.

"That's right… We all know the things we've fought with these cards. Please wait." He yelled at the image of his opponent in the darkness. "No matter what the place is, let's do it. Our Greatest Duel." Syrus said banishing any negative feelings about his future.

"We know….. As long as we have these cards …. We have friends fighting alongside us!" Alexis said casting away any lingering doubts.

"We can always count on them!" Blair declared confidently.

"We're never alone!" They all collectively yelled.

The dark smoke containing all the students and staff from the Academy disappeared in the presence of a shining light. That light separated and released all of Nightshroud's prisoners, returning them to the Academy.

"This is Duel Academy?" Chazz asked, still seeing the darkness that lingered over the school.

"Yeah…" Syrus replied looking terrified.

"Guys…." Alexis said once she saw everyone.

"Look!" Blair yelled. "Konami and Jaden are dueling that creep!"

"Impossible!" Nightshroud yelled, seeing everyone returned unharmed.

"Looks like everyone didn't like you're world of darkness. You didn't just steal everyone's memories. You stole our irreplaceable bonds!" Jaden shouted back at him.

"Now….. we're going to show you… the power of our bonds!" Konami roared, going paler due to the effort that it took.

 **TURN 20 – KONAMI &JADEN 500LP VS NIGHTSHROUD 1200LP**

"Draw!" Konami yelled before looking at his card. As he did so, all his friends' faces, Tyranno, Alexis, Chazz, Syrus and Blair's in particular appeared in his mind, reminding him what it was he was fighting for. ' _Heh. Looks like there will be some light at the end of this tunnel after all._ '

"Hope you're not too attached to that Darkness Neosphere because he won't be around much longer!"

"Fool! There's nothing you can do to stop it!"

"We'll see about that! I'll activate Silent Doom to bring back my Blue Eyes White Dragon in Defence Mode!" Konami shouted as a beam of white light cut through the darkness to reveal Konami's ace monster.

"What's your pitiful Dragon going to do in Defence Mode?" Nightshroud asked, clearly not impressed. "Even if it was in Attack Mode, neither it nor Neos can match my Monster's 4000 Attack Points!"

"Maybe individually they can't!" Konami replied. "But together me and Jaden will join our powers to take you down! You underestimate the human spirit, Nightshroud! You don't see the limitless potential of humans when we all work together, when we work to help each other. To prove the power of unity, I'll activate Gift of the Martyr!"

"What!?"

"I'll tribute my ace Monster Blue Eyes White Dragon to give Jaden's ace Monster a boost of 3000 Attack Points! Alone our Monsters are great, together they're unstoppable!"

Konami's Blue Eyes started to fade away as a blue glow started to engulf Elemental Hero Neos. A powerful aura started to emanate from around him as his Attack rose to 5500.

"Go, Elemental Hero Neos! End this madness now. Legendary Strike of White Lightining!"

Neos flied through the air at the Neosphere. His white form cast in the blue light energy cut through the darkness and basking all the students and staff in a light in his wake. His fist made contact with the Monster's chest before he emerged the other side. The Monster started to crack as a light emerged from the hole. Neosphere collapsed inwards as it exploded, reducing Nightshroud's LPs to 0.

 **KONAMI &JADEN 500LP (WIN) VS NIGHTSHROUD 0000LP (LOSE)**

Nightshroud stood stunned as he realised what had happened. "Jaden Yuki…. Konami Himura, though I lost to your cards, my soul itself is another matter. I may have been defeated, but my true form is the darkness. I can easily be revived in this world!"

"Even if that's true, as long as me and Konami are here … No….." Jaden said, correcting himself. "As long as us duelists are here, we can continue to believe in that possibility of a world without darkness. Your turn will never come."

"Face it, Nightshroud," Konami said, leaning on Jaden for support, "you'll never rise again."

The dark figure remained still until he slowly started to dematerialise as the sun came up. The two Slifers stared him down defiantly, not backing down an inch. Nightshroud gave what was as closed to a smile as he could manage. "We shall see who is right. And when I come back, I will defeat you both."

With that all traces of the darkness faded away, as the sun shone brightly over Duel Academy. The staff and students all let out cheers and started hugging. Konami felt his knees buckle slightly as he leaned more of his weight on Jaden.

"You alright, bud?" Jaden asked, looking concerned. "You took a bit of a beating there."

"Ha!" Konami muttered weakly. "Like you're one to talk."

"True."Jaden conceded.

"Hey, Jaden." Konami murmured. "Thanks. I wouldn't have survived that without you."

"Same, bud." Jaden said pulling him into a soft hug. "You've had my back so many times over the years. There's no way I'd have gotten here without you."

"It's been…. one wild ride." Konami agreed. "Nothing that we face after we leave can compare to…. ah …..these three years."

"Sarge! Commander!"

The pair looked around to see that Syrus, Chazz and Tyranno were running over to towards them. Alexis was tending to Atticus who had been taken over by Nightshroud. Red Hat started looking around frantically. He had yet to see his partner.

His fears were soon elevated, as a small figure threw herself at him, knocking him to the ground and holding him tight in a hug. Blair's hair was flying all over the place as she buried her face into his chest, sobbing gently.

"Konami! Konami!" She yelled. "I thought you were going to leave me behind. I thought Nightshroud would ….."

"Uh….. Blair?" Konami asked, feeling himself drift out of consciousness. "Don't hug me so tight. I think my ribs are broken."

Blair didn't seem to pay him any attention as she continued to sob. "You're alive! You're OK!"

' _Oh, Ra!_ ' Konami thought to himself, as he finally passed out due to the pain.

 _(Later on)_

Konami's eyes flickered gently as he started to come around. He looked up at the familiar ceiling of the nurse's office. He started to move around, trying to sit up in his bed, when he noticed someone was holding his hand. Konami looked over to see Blair sitting in a seat beside his bed. She had dark bags under her eyes and her hair was unkempt, like she hadn't brushed it in a while. His partner was fast asleep, breathing softly. Konami smiled, seeing that she was OK after the Nightshroud incident.

There was a soft knock on the door as Ms. Fontaine walked into the room, smiling at the sight of Konami and Blair. "Good to see you're awake!"

Konami blushed slightly realising as he realised how this must look. "How long have I been out?" He asked trying to avoid any questions.

"About a day now." She responded. "By the way, just so you know, Blair didn't leave your side all the time you were out." She added, not letting the matter drop.

Konami looked over at his partner again. "Good. She should considering she nearly killed me with her hug earlier." He decided to try change the topic again. "So how badly am I banged up?"

"Well, it appears that Nightshroud broke four of your ribs. You'll need to stay here and rest to have them heal up properly." Ms. Fontaine explained. "You also have some bruises on your chest, but those are from Blair, not Nightshroud."

Konami raised his eyebrows at this. "What did she do!?"

"Well," Fontaine said, "when you passed out she started worrying that you were going to die and started to bang your chest telling you to not leave her and yelled that no one can take _her_ Konami away when you didn't respond."

Red Hat looked over at his partner, stunned at hearing this. Any doubts that he had that she would forget all about him next year seemed to be put to rest with that. He tightened his grip on her hand, being careful not to wake her up.

"You know, she cares for you a great deal." Ms. Fontaine stated.

"Of course." Konami said with a smile. "She's my partner after all. It goes both ways."

Ms. Fontaine smiled at hearing that. "I'll leave you to rest up now. Just remember this, Konami. You're leaving in a few weeks. Sometimes it's the things you don't do that you'll regret for the rest of life."

With that she left, leaving Konami to contemplate her words in silence. Red Hat rubbed his thumb in a half moon shape on the back of Blair's hands. The Obelisk student started to stir as he did so, her eyelids gently fluttering as she came to. She looked up to see Konami smiling at her.

"Hey, sleepyhead."

Blair smiled when she saw her partner awake, as tears began to well in her eyes. "Konami…. You survived."

"Of course I did." Konami said. "Like this school will ever fall as long as I am around!"

Blair's smile widened as she softly stated, "That's why my partner is the best."

She slowly fell back asleep as the hours of staying awake to tend to Konami's injuries caught up to her again. Konami closed his eyes as she did so. He'd think of a plan to tell Blair how he felt later. He was too tired now. For the moment, he would enjoy this rare moment of peace and just try to rest up.

 **{A/N}**

 **Just a short piece here. It mainly serves to tie over from the last chapter to the next. Some of the setting wouldn't make sense if I didn't address the whole Nightshroud incident. Plus I just wanted to show Jaden and Konami's friendship. By the way, in my head, the final attack from Neos looked like Goku's final attack against King Piccolo in Dragon Ball. Thanks so much for all the feedback/support and I hope you enjoyed.**


	6. Chapter 6

Just a disclaimer to say, that Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't belong to me. All characters are owned by others. I'm merely using them in this fanfic for fun.

 **A Maiden's Quest – Heart Six**

Konami sat on the floor of his room, looking at his cards, with his arms folded across his chest. He was able to use Blue Eyes up until he left Duel Academy but he wanted to plan for the future without it. He spent so much time relying on his ace card that it was tough to try to formulate strategies that didn't involve it. A small Dragon's spirit appeared over some of his cards and let out a small roar.

"Huh." Konami said as he picked up the cards it was suggesting. "You're right. These cards could replace Blue Eyes as my ace Monster. Now how do I maximise their strengths?"

His train of thought was disrupted by a soft knock on his door. Blair walked in with a big smile; the same smile that light up Konami's world even in the darkness. She hadn't stopped smiling since he had woken up back in the nurse's room. It honestly surprised him that she didn't pull a muscle in her face, considering her smile was so wide.

"Morning, Konami. I need you to help me create some more memories today!" The Obelisk said.

"No problem." The red hat enthusiast replied. "Just give me a second to tidy up in here."

"You know," Blair said as she watched Konami pick up his cards and rearrange them, "I'm never going to get used to this idea of you being up so early."

"Don't worry. In a few days I'm sure I'll fall back into bad habits." Konami reassured her. "Once I leave I won't have to get up for classes."

The thought of him leaving still stung Blair. No matter how much she tried to accept it, the thought of being separated in a few days hurt. The fact Konami had already packed up some of his belongings into boxes, which lied around his room, just solidified how imminent his departure was. She still hadn't found the right way and time to explain her feelings to him. Normally this would be easy for her. She told Jaden and Zane her feelings so many times she lost count. She couldn't understand why it was so much more difficult to tell Konami.

Konami looked over at his partner and immediately noticed her sad mood. "Hey, Blair? Is everything alright?"

Blair snapped out of her thoughts at his question. "Y-Yeah. Why?"

"I don't know." Konami asked with a slightly concerned frown. "You look really tense or nervous."

"Hm? I look nervous? You really think so?" Blair asked. "Well, I AM gonna approach a very special person today…."

This piqued Konami's interest. "Really? Who is it?"

Blair just stuck out her tongue at him. "Can't say! That just ruins the surprise!"

Konami walked over to the door and opened it. He started to walk out before stopping and turning back to face his partner. He smiled and held out his arm. "Milady?"

Blair's smile returned to her face as she latched onto his arm. "Milord."

 _(Later on)_

The familiar dark blue haired figure of Zane stood in front of the Obelisk Blue Boy's Dorm. "Atticus … So you're finally going to be graduating…."

"Yep! I'm finally moving on to the pro league!" His old friend replied, with his signature goofy grin on his face.

"Zane!" Blair yelled out, getting the two boys attention. Konami followed after her giving a brief wave.

"Hello, Blair." Zane replied. "Heh. And who would be at your side but Konami. I heard all about your recent adventure. Impressive. What's that make it? The fourth time you saved this school and the world?"

"Thanks." Konami said with a serious look on his face. "But it was only Atticus and a friend of his I had to beat. Wasn't really a threat."

"Hey!" Atticus yelled out offended. "I'm a threat!"

"Sure you are." Zane and Konami replied in unison.

Atticus' frown fell off his face as his grin re-emerged. "I'll let you off for that comment though since you did save me back there."

Konami rolled his eyes as he turned his attention back to Zane. "You know, I've beaten a lot of duelists here. Sometimes it was my second or third try but I beat them. There's only one person I've never defeated."

Zane grinned as he remembered his first duel with Konami. "Some would say that duelist crushed you with little resistance."

Konami grinned as he thought back to his Graduation Tag Duel with Jaden versus Zane and Atticus. "Some would say I left a spoiled that duelists graduation by drawing in his final duel here."

"Well," Zane responded, "I could be wrong here but I don't see Jaden anywhere around to bail you out of a loss this time."

"Want to try back those words up, dear Kaiser?" Konami asked readying his duel disk.

' _Jeez._ ' Atticus thought to himself. ' _If I didn't know that these two respected each other so much, I'd be worried that they'd actually start fighting._ '

Blair stepped in between the two, regaining Zane's attention. "This a little sudden but … Will you duel me? Please, please, please!"

"OK, OK. Calm down. But why the sudden request?" Zane asked, looking slightly confused.

Blair blushed slightly as she started to explain. "I-I'm going around asking all of the graduating students to duel me …. I'm trying to create some nice memories before you all leave! So I've got to duel you too, Zane!"

Zane grew even more confused. "But I've already graduated from the Academy ….."

"Oh …. Yeah …." The female Obelisk murmured, cursing herself for her forgetfulness.

Atticus threw one arm around his friend and pulled him away from the pair of current students. "Zane! Don't be an idiot! It took a lot of courage for Blair to ask you for a duel!"

"R-Really?" Zane said looking completely lost at this stage.

"Of course!" Atticus barked. "And she went to a lot of effort to get you here at the right moment so that she and Konami could duel you. It's a romantic gesture on her part to get the one person that Konami never defeated back for one last duel."

"Romantic gesture? They're dating?" Zane said as looked over his shoulder at the pair. It was true Blair seemed to be much more touchy, feely with Konami now. "Hey Konami," he called out, "you finally confess?"

Konami went bright red as Blair looked over at him confused. "Confess what?" She asked.

"Ah! Hahahaha!" Atticus interjected as Konami struggled to find the words to try answer. "The trash talk is getting intense now! So, Konami, have you confessed yet that Zane is the better duelist?"

Konami let out a sigh of relief. ' _Good save, Atticus._ '

"You idiot!" Atticus whispered to Zane. "You can't just come out and say something like that!"

"Why not?"

"I thought graduating and going out into society would change you. But I guess you're as oblivious as you always were, Zane!"

"Uh, I ….."

"You can't rob this young couple of their confession in such a ham-fisted manner! These things require a proper place and setting."

"Whatever you say….." Zane looked completely out of his depth here.

"Look, I have an idea!" Atticus yelled out turning around to face the pair. "I'm a graduating student myself. And I don't want my last duel with Konami here to be when I was under Nightshroud's control. So why don't WE have a tag duel?"

"Huh?"

"I choose Zane as my partner! And Blair, you'll obviously be partners with Konami! How does that sound, Blair?"

"Atticus…." Blair said with a big smile.

"Oh, all right." Zane yelled out, just glad that they were back to talking about dueling and not feelings anymore. "But if we're going to do this …. Let's not go at it half-heartedly just to make some memories. Let's give it everything we've got!"

"As if I would even dream of holding anything back!" Konami shouted at his rival, as eyes shone red. "I'm winning this duel! No doubt about it!"

"Of course!" Blair agreed. "Thank you, Zane! Atticus! Game on!"

 **TURN 1 – BLAIR &KONAMI 8000LP VS ZANE&ATTICUS 8000LP**

"My turn. Draw!" Blair yelled. "I'll Summon Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1700).

A raven haired woman dressed in white robes appeared on the field. She was the epitome of elegance and grace as she softly landed on the ground.

"I'll play one card face down and end my turn. Due to Lyla's effect I send the top two cards of my deck to grave." Blair sent Garoth and Wulf to the Graveyard. "Due to Wulf's effect, when it's sent to the Graveyard I can special summon it to the field in Attack Mode." (ATK:2100).

A giant white wolf-man appeared on the field. He snarled at Zane and Atticus, licking his lips in particular at the elder Rhodes. Atticus gulped at this.

 **TURN 2 – ZANE &ATTICUS 8000LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 8000LP**

"Good start, Blair." Zane said as he drew his card. "It's clear that you've improved already with that strong opening turn. But I've got an even stronger response. I'll summon Cyber Dragon in Attack Mode." (ATK: 2100).

The signature monster of Zane appeared on the field. The mechanical Dragon roared as it emerged from the light.

"That Wulf of yours could be difficult to overcome later. So I better deal with it now. I'll attack it with Cyber Dragon."

Konami looked confused. "Why would you do that? Won't your monster be destroyed by battle as well?"

"Not after I use Limiter Removal! My Cyber Dragon's Attack Points are doubled to 4200, giving him more than enough to take out your monster." The mechanical Dragon let out a burst of white energy that reduced Wulf to broken pixels. Blair raised her arms to block the damage.

"I'll set two cards face down and end my turn. Due to Limiter Removal's effect, my Cyber Dragon is destroyed." Cyber Dragon disappeared into a light.

 **TURN 3 – BLAIR &KONAMI 5900LP VS ZANE&ATTICUS 8000LP**

"Hm. You took out over a quarter of our LPs but you left yourself wide open." Konami said as he looked at the new card in his hand. "I'll make you pay for that mistake. I'll summon Luster Dragon in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1900).

A familiar blue Dragon appeared on the field, rising up from the ground beside Jain.

"I'll attack you directly with Luster Dragon." Konami yelled.

"Did you really think I'd leave myself exposed like that?" Zane shouted back. "I activate Call of the Haunted to bring back my Cyber Dragon in Attack Mode." The mechanical Dragon reappeared on the field.

"Tch." Konami muttered frustrated. "I'll end my turn with two face downs." He sent Exploder Dragon and Twin Headed Behemoth to the Graveyard due to Jain's effect.

 **TURN 4 – ZANE &ATTICUS 8000LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 5900LP**

"Wooo!" Atticus yelled out. "Finally, my turn! I'll start by activating the continuous Spell Card Heart of the Underdog. Next, I'll summon Gene-Warped Warwolf in Attack Mode." (ATK: 2000).

A vicious looking multi-armed mutant werewolf appeared on Atticus' field. He glared at Konami.

' _Oh Ra!_ ' Konami thought. ' _Why do I get the feeling he wants to eat me?_ '

"Now, I'll attack your Luster Dragon with Zane's Cyber Dragon."

"Trap card activate!" Konami yelled. "Negate Attack!"

"Ha. Nice one." Atticus said. "You gain ten points for being prepared. I'll set a card face down and end my turn."

 **TURN 5 – BLAIR &KONAMI 5900LP VS ZANE&ATTICUS 8000LP**

"It's time to gain back some ground in this duel." Blair muttered, drawing her card. "I'll equip my Lyla with Lightsworn Sabre so that she gains 700 Attack Points." (ATK: 1700 to 2400). "Next, I'll activate Fissure to destroy your Warwolf!"

A hole opened up underneath the werewolf as he fell down the Fissure. Konami breathed a sigh of relief as the Monster disappeared.

"Now, Lyla will attack your Cyber Dragon." Lyla swung her sabre at Zane's ace Monster, cutting it in half. "Next, Luster Dragon attacks you directly." The blue Dragon scratched at Atticus with a claw.

"Ah! Not my face!" Atticus yelled as he threw his arms up to protect him.

Blair checked her hand again before ending her turn. She sent her Garoth and Jain to the Graveyard.

 **TURN 6 – ZANE &ATTICUS 5600LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 5900LP**

"Alright." Blair said, smiling at the turnaround. "We got them on the run now."

Zane scoffed at this. "Sometimes you have to be willing to take a little damage to get a reward. I'll activate Call of the Haunted to bring back my Cyber Dragon."

"Again!?" Konami yelled out.

"Don't worry though, Konami. It won't be around for long because I'm activating Power Bond to fuse my Cyber Dragon on the field with the Cyber Dragon in my hand to Fusion summon Cyber Twin Dragon in Attack Mode." (ATK: 2800).

Two mechanical dragons appeared on the field as they moved towards each other. A blinding flash of light shone out as soon as they made contact with each other. When Konami was able to see again, he was face to face with a twin headed mechanical Monster.

"Not good!" He muttered under his breath.

"You're right, Konami!" Zane declared, looking extremely confident now. "Due to the effect of Power Bond my monster's Attack Points are doubled." Cyber Twin Dragon's Attack rose to 5600. "Now I'll have him attack both your Dragon and Lyla."

Both mouths of Zane's monster shoot out a blast of energy. Both Luster Dragon and Lyla were blown away as their figures broke into pixels.

"I'll end my turn with that, meaning I now take damage equal to Cyber Twin Dragon's original Attack due to Power Bond."

 **TURN 7 – BLAIR &KONAMI 4500LP VS ZANE&ATTICUS 2800LP**

"We're in a real pinch here." Konami murmured as he drew his card. "I'll activate Lighting Vortex by sending my second Exploder Dragon to the Graveyard."

"Sorry to spoil your party, Konami, but I'll activate Solemn Judgement to counter your spell." Atticus yelled out.

Konami growled as he set his Monster face down and set a card face down. Any of his usual combos were useless if he couldn't get a Monster that matched Cyber Twin Dragon's Attack. Not even ol' Blue Eyes packed that much power. He needed something stronger.

 **TURN 8 – ZANE &ATTICUS 1400LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 4500LP**

"Time for me to end this!" Atticus yelled. He was as serious as Konami had ever seen him.

' _Looks like it isn't just me and Zane who are playing for fun memories._ ' Konami thought to himself.

"I'll summon Marauding Captain in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1200). "Then I'll use his effect to special summon my Pitch-Black Warwolf in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1600). "Next I'll play Banner of Courage to give my Monsters an extra 200 Attack Points in Battle."

"Great!" Konami shouted out. "Another Monster who looks like he wants to eat me."

"Jeez." Blair muttered. "Isn't it the Knight's job to fight the scary Monsters to save his Maiden?"

"Next I'll play Banner of Courage to give my Monsters an extra 200 Attack Points in Battle." Atticus shouted, bring the attention back to him. "I'll attack your face down with Cyber Twin Dragon."

One of the Dragon heads blast was enough to destroy the face down Troop Dragon. (DEF: 800).

"I'll special summon my second Troop Dragon."

"Nice defence. Plus fifteen points for a good combo." Atticus said, a goofy grin breaking his serious face. "But now that I know what you're face down is, I'll attack with my Pitch Black Warwolf."

The second Troop Dragon broke into pixels as it was cut in half by the Warwolf.

"Now you're wide open. I'll finish this with Cyber Twin Dragon!"

"Not so fast!" Konami yelled. "I activate Shrink to cut your Dragon's Attack Points in half."

"You'll still take 2900 points of damage." Atticus roared. Red Hat raised his arms to protect himself from the direct blast. He was flung back and landed in a heap on the ground.

"That can't be good for my ribs…." He muttered as he struggled to get back to his feet.

"Konami!" Blair yelled. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." He said brushing off her worries.

"You won't be fine for long." Atticus interjected. "I'll attack with Marauding Captain for 1400 points of damage."

The captain slashed at Konami with his sword, as the Slifer raised his arms to block the blow.

"With that I'll end my turn."

 **TURN 9 – BLAIR &KONAMI 200LP VS ZANE&ATTICUS 1400LP**

"My turn. Draw!" Blair drew her card before placing a monster face down. "I'll end my turn."

 **TURN 10 – ZANE &ATTICUS 1400LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 200LP**

"Time to end this." Zane yelled out. "I'll attack your face down with Cyber Twin Dragon!" One of the Dragon's heads let out a burst of energy at the face down monster. Suddenly that blast was reflected back at Zane. "Ah! What was that!"

"Sorry, Zane." Blair said as Marshmallon appeared on the field. "But thanks to my Marshmallon you won't be ending it this turn. It can't be destroyed by battle and you take 1000 damage when you attack it face down."

"You survived another turn. But I'll make sure Atticus ends it next turn. I activate De-fusion on Cyber Twin Dragon to bring back my two Cyber Dragons!" The twin headed mechanical beast split in two, reverting to their defused stage. "Next I'll activate Polymerization to fuse my two Cyber Dragons on the field with the Cyber Dragon in my hand to form my ultimate Monster. Come forth, Cyber End Dragon!"

The three mechanical Dragons all moved towards a light in the centre of the duel field. The light became blindingly bright once again. When it faded away, a three headed Dragon was on the field. (ATK: 4000).

"As Cyber End Dragon can inflict piercing damage, even with your monster in Defence Mode and not being able to destroy it by Battle, you'll still take the damage! Next turn this duel is over!" Zane shouted. "I'll end my turn by turning Maurding Captain and Pitch Black Warwolf to Defence Mode."

 **TURN 11 – BLAIR &KONAMI 200LP VS ZANE&ATTICUS 400LP**

' _I could really do with a Destiny Draw here._ ' Konami thought to himself. He placed his fingers on his top card and drew. He needed this card to respond to his desire to win. Not just for bragging rights against Zane but also to give Blair a memory that she would never forget.

"Draw!" He yelled. He turned over the card and smiled. The one card in his deck that had enough power to overcome Cyber End Dragon. "I'll activate the spell card Dragon's Mirror! By removing from play the two Troop Dragon, Luster Dragon, Exploder Dragon and Twin Headed Behemoth in my Graveyard. I'll use them to Fusion summon the strongest monster in my deck Five God Dragon!"

The five Dragon's appeared on Konami's side of the field as they were all absorbed into the mirror. When they all entered, a light started pulsating out around the mirror. Cracks started forming before it exploded. Emerging from the smoke was a five headed mammoth of a Dragon. (ATK: 5000).

"Wow!" Atticus exclaimed in awe of the legendary Monster. "Plus fifty points for being able to summon an amazing Monster like this."

"I-Impossible!" Zane stammered.

"Go, FGD!" Konami shouted. "End this! Five God's Judgement!" All five heads of the monsters let out a burst of varying energy that all were aimed at Cyber End Dragon. The mechanical Dragon roared in protest nut was unable to withstand the massive blast.

 **BLAIR &KONAMI 200LP (WIN) VS ZANE&ATTICUS 0000LP (LOSE)**

Zane stood stunned by the result. "Humph …. You guys are good. Looks like you don't need Jaden to win, Konami."

"Wow! You beat us!" Atticus said, looking impressed.

"I can't believe it. We won …." Blair whispered, looking stunned.

"Hey!" Konami yelled. "Why are you all so surprised that we won? Weren't we just discussing how many times I've saved this school before the duel?"

Zane walked forward ignoring his rival, to talk to his partner. "Blair."

"Zane…." Blair looked at her first crush. It felt so long ago that she had first met him.

"It's been 3 years since you came to the Academy to visit me." Zane continued. "….. A lot has changed since then ….. Successes and failures … Honour and disgrace. Laughter and tears ….. I am a man who is not very sensitive to the feelings of others. Even Atticus here has somewhat given up on me in that sense. But I do know one thing. In that duel just now, I could tell that everything you've learned …. and everything you've felt since coming to the Academy …. was genuine. You've really grown strong, Blair."

"….Zane…."

"Konami." Zane said turning his attention to his rival. "I remember the first time we dueled. You offered me no real resistance. You disappointed me severely."

"Why is your speech to me way more negative?" Konami asked looking annoyed.

Zane chuckled softly. "But your loss didn't prove to be the end of you. It was the making of you. You worked hard to rebuild your reputation and work your way back up the rankings in the school. You proved that you belonged here. You proved to be a phenomenal duelist and partner. This school wouldn't have survived without you. Blair wouldn't have grown as much without you. I wouldn't have improved so much if I didn't have to fight to keep ahead of you."

"Wow, Zane!" Konami said looking stunned. He stuck his hand out to the former student. "I can't wait to duel you in the Pro League!"

Zane shook his hand. "I look forward to it. We'll have to duel to finally settle the score."

Blair pulled Zane in for a hug. "Zane! Atticus! Thank you both very much! Zane, you were always an inspiration for me! You'll always have a special place in my heart!"

Zane let go of Konami to hug Blair back. "No problem." He said, before whispering in her ear. "By the way, even I can tell you like Konami. You should do something about that."

Blair pulled back blushing heavily. Zane winked at her as she made her way back to Konami. Red Hat looked at his partner with a confused frown.

"Everything OK?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah!" Blair spluttered out, grabbing Konami's hand as she started to run off towards the Obelisk campus. "C'mon, we still have to get some peoples photos!"

"Hm? Hey!" Atticus yelled, looking annoyed at the pair's departing figures. "Don't I get a closing comment, too…..!?"

"Sorry, Atticus!" Konami shouted back over his shoulder. "No time!"

( _Later on_ )

The sun started to set as Konami and Blair went about finishing up talking photos of other graduating students. Soon the sun had sunk completely into the sea as the moon rose up, hanging as the lone light in the cobalt sky. The team made their way back to the campus, stopping to stay by the lake near the Obelisk dorms. Most students had returned to their rooms at this time, leaving the campus unnaturally quite.

Konami started skipping stones in the lake. He remembered when he first came to Duel Academy; he would visit this spot all the time. That was before some unruly Obelisks decreed it a Slifer-free zone, something Crowler was only too eager to let pass. It was hard to believe that had happened three years ago now. Three years he had spent here and in a few more days he was leaving.

Blair, meanwhile, just stood back watching her partner. The moon reflected in his eyes, even as his cap cast a shadow over his face. She was unable to tell what he was thinking. This peaceful silence was just another thing that she was going to miss when he left. Suddenly Blair felt herself moving beside Red Hat, standing beside him looking over the lake.

"Hey, Konami?" she asked, her voice slightly hesitant. "Do you mind answering a question for me?"

Konami turned to face her. "Of course, Blair. What's bothering you?"

"It's just ….that …. Well ….." Blair struggled to find the right words to say. "When you dueled Truman and Nightshroud, you must have been put through their sick games like everyone else. How come you didn't fall into despair? What did you have that you kept fighting for?"

Red Hat looked surprised at her question. Taking a minute to find the way to properly articulate his feelings, he looked out over the school. "I had everyone to fight for. The students here, the staff, even the people who I don't know. I had my friends. I had you." He turned back to look his partner in her eyes.

Blair was suddenly glad she picked to have this conversation at night time, so Konami couldn't see her blush. Was this a -? No, it couldn't possibly be-? He isn't? "W-What do you mean by that?"

Konami started smiling. "It's simple really. I had you. Whatever Nightshroud did or put me through, I knew it would pale in comparison to what you'd do to me if I let the world be destroyed before you got the chance to find your Prince Charming."

Blair stared at him stunned by his answer, before she started pouting. She moved a few steps closer to her partner before kicking his shin as hard as she could, which sent a shock through his entire body as he collapsed to the ground. "You jerk! You just went and ruined a perfectly good moment there!"

"Sorry!" Konami apologised from the ground. "But that really hurt."

Blair smiled as laid down on the grass beside him. Pushing She rested her head on his chest as she looked up at the moon. She could feel his heart thump against his chest as he started trying to splutter out some words of protest.

"Just be quiet for a bit." She said. "I want to try save the moment you seemed so keen on ruining."

The pair laid there looking up at the moon, in relative silence. Only the hooting of owls broke the silence. Blair felt herself relax in the situation. She felt so at peace with Konami here. It felt so natural. She didn't want anything to ruin this moment.

"Remember when we first meet, Konami?"

"Of course I do." Konami said, laughing as he thought back to the small cap wearing student he had to share his room with for a few weeks. "I still can't believe you actually posed as a boy to try and meet Zane."

"H-Hey! Don't laugh!" Blair scolded. "I was a Maiden in Love! I had to follow my heart! But more specifically I wanted to know whether or not you remember the first thing you said to me?"

Konami scrunched up his face as thought back. Banner introduced her and asked Konami to show her to her room. Konami remembered she was looking nervous. He had thought that was due to being the new student. He never suspected that she was a girl in disguse.

"I threw my arm around you and told you to lighten up. You had nothing to worry about. As one of the guys, I'd always look after you."

Blair laughed nervously. "Yeah, that. Even when it turned out I wasn't one of the guys you still looked after me. I never properly thanked you for that."

The pair fell back into silence. Konami started to work up the courage to ask his own question. "H-Hey Blair? W-Will you answer a question for me?"

"Sure."

Konami stayed silent for a moment before he spoke. "You said to Zane earlier that he would always have a special place in your heart. I was just wondering …. You know ….. Do I have a special place in your heart?"

Blair waited a moment before she sat up before looking Konami in his eye. "Yes. Of course you do! You're my partner. I'd be lost without you."

Konami nodded keeping a perfect poker face, not giving away any emotion he was feeling. He was working up the courage to tell Blair before it was too late for him. The pair sat there in a silence for a few seconds.

"So what about you?" Blair asked.

"What do you mean?" Konami asked slightly confused.

Blair laughed softly, hearing his heartbeat increase. "Is there a place in your heart for me? Was I able to make it into your heart?"

"Yeah, you were." Konami whispered looking at the top of Blair's head. "You stomped in without even taking your shoes off first."

"So you won't forget me?" Blair asked, her voice cracking slightly.

"Even if I did, I'm sure that you'd hunt me down."

"I'm glad it was you, Konami." She whispered in his ear. "I'm glad it was you that I – I picked as my partner."

The team fell back into silence once again. It took Konami a few more moments to work up the courage to get try find the right words to explain the burden on his chest.

"H-Hey Blair. There's been something I've always wanted to tell you."

Blair could hear his heart pounding against his rib cage at this point and suddenly started to feel the awkwardness of their proximity to one another.

"I'm not sure when it happened or how long I've known about it but-"

"Is that Stupid Hat Boy I hear?" Crowler's voice came. "And a female's voice as well? Out past curfew and fraternising with a member of the opposite gender!? You may be leaving soon, Stupid Hat Boy, but I'll still put you on detention for the rest of your days here!"

"C-Crowler?" Blair said cursing the Obelisk heads poor timing. What was Konami going to say?

"Oh great!" Konami whispered. "He's been super serious about punishing me recently. I got to get out of here!"

Blair quickly got to her feet. "I'll distract him. You get back to the Slifer Dorm."

"Won't you get in trouble?" Konami asked looking concerned for his partner.

"I'm an Obelisk. He won't ever punish me." Blair explained, pushing Konami away. "No get away from here!"

Konami turned on his heel and started retreating, glancing over his shoulder to check on Blair. She gave him the 'get out of here' motion with her hands. Konami quickly ran towards the Slifer dorm. As he did so, he couldn't help the tears that escaped out of the corner of his eyes and made their way down his cheeks. Red Hat knew he missed his last chance to tell Blair how he felt. He waited too long and now the moment had passed. The next few days would be busy for Blair as she had to work on completing the yearbook before the Graduation Tag Duel. After the duel, he would immediately have to leave to reach Pegasus' island. It would be impossible to find another opportunity to tell her.

Sometimes in life, things just didn't work out the way you wanted. You just have to accept that.

 **{A/N}**

 **Once again, thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favourited or followed this story. Much appreciated. There'll be about two more chapters after this and then it'll be done. Feel free to let me know if there's anything else ye want to see related to Yu-Gi-Oh or Tag Force. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.**


	7. Chapter 7

Just a disclaimer to say, that Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't belong to me. All characters are owned by others. I'm merely using them in this fanfic for fun.

 **A Maiden's Quest – Heart Seven**

Konami stood over his desk, giving his deck a quick last check. His last duel at the Academy was approaching. The small Dragon duel spirit let out a happy roar when it saw Konami's deck. The Slifer smiled at his new friend.

"Happy to finally have a chance to show what you can do bud?" He asked as the small Dragon shot out a small fireball in reply. "Thank Ra you don't have a physical presence when you do that. You'd probably burn down the entire Slifer dorm. Well, you can thank Atticus for giving me some cards to help you out."

There was a soft knock on the door that made Konami jump. Had Blair heard him talking to his duel spirit? Did she think he had gone insane? His partner opened the door, walking in hesitantly as she did so. Konami worried that he had made things awkward with the last proper conversation they had together.

"Hey Blair!" He said with a smile, trying to get rid of any awkwardness that lingered between them. "How are you feeling about the Graduation Tag Duel? It's nearly here now."

Blair had a rather distant look in her eyes. "…..Konami. The Graduation Tag Duel is finally here."

Konami frowned slightly. He had just said that. Was Blair not paying attention? That was very unlike her. "Is everything OK? You didn't get into any trouble with Crowler, right?"

"No, no, no!" Blair said shaking her head. "It's just that…. So, uh….Well, I….. Never mind. …. I'll tell you after the duel, OK?"

Konami's frown deepened. "Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Y-Yeah, it's fine." His partner replied. "We can talk about it after the Duel. You can spare a few minutes, right?"

Konami gave her a reassuring smile. "For you? Of course."

Blair smiled at her partner. It seemed a little forced but it was still an improvement on the thousand yard stare she had before. Blair walked over to the door and opened. She went to leave before stopping and blushing slightly.

She turned back to face Konami and held out her arm. "M-Milord?"

Konami smiled at their role reversal. Bowing to his partner before accepting her arm, he replied, "Milady."

They made the walk arm in arm from the Slifer dorm over to the main building in relative silence. They occasionally discussed their strategies and some other small talk. Blair fell silent once again, looking distant again. Konami figured they were just pre-Duel nerves. This was the first time she had taken part in the Graduation Duel. He remembered how nervous he was before his first one. Jaden had to spend hours talking him into going in front of such a large crowd.

As they made their way across campus, Konami soaked in every last view of the Academy. He still couldn't believe the fact that he would be permanently gone in only a few hours. Three years worth of memories flooded back to him as he continued the walk. ' _Man, I'm going to miss this place so much._ ' The closer they came to the main building the students started greeting them, wishing them luck and cheering them on.

Konami led the way as they walked to the Duel Field. The waft of freshly prepared sandwiches blew down the corridors. Konami stopped when he noticed the smell. There was still a half hour before the Duel started; maybe he could still grab a bite to eat beforehand. As he deliberated what to do, he heard a hungry growl.

He turned around to see Blair holding her stomach with her face a bright red. Could that be why Blair seemed to have less energy than normal? Was it the fact she was hungry?

"Blair?" He asked. "You did eat breakfast, right?"

Blair started scuffing her shoes on the floor, looking down. "Well, I was really nervous and …" Konami pulled her by her hand in the direction of the store. "W-What are you doing?"

"Getting you some breakfast." Red Hat replied, before he added with a sheepish grin, "And a snack for me as well."

The store was relatively quiet, meaning that the Duel Field had to be packed out. Konami walked into the store to see Dorothy and Sadie eye him up suspiciously. He tipped his hat at them.

"You aren't going to cause a mess this time, are you?" Sadie asked, remembering how long it took to clean up the mess from his scuffle over the Golden Eggwich with Chazz and Bastion.

"What mess is this?" Blair asked looking confused.

"Not important. I promise I'm just here to get Blair some breakfast and me a snack." Konami said as he placed his hand on his heart. "Duel Scouts honour."

Dorothy quickly got over her suspicions and smiled at the graduating Slifer. She still remembered when he had helped her push her van up the hill alongside Jaden. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him towards the sandwiches. "Go ahead, hon. Take two for free. Consider it a small repayment for saving us from the darkness."

Konami smiled at the kind lady. Dorothy was always looking out for him and Sadie had saved him a few packs of cards on more than one occasion. He would also miss them when he left the Academy. He reached into the stand and picked up two sandwiches after a few moments rummaging around. Dorothy and Sadie waved the pair off, wishing them the best of luck in the Graduation Duel.

As they left, Dorothy pulled Konami in for a hug, whispering in his ear as she did so. "This might only be an old lady being wishful about her own youth, but you should tell Blair how you feel?"

As the two walked backed towards the Duel Field, Konami handed Blair her sandwich. He opened his own to find it to be the plain sandwich. "Nice!" He said with a happy grin, as he pulled out the three cards. "I can make some sweet combos with these cards!"

He looked back at his partner, only to realise that she had stopped walking several steps ago. She was looking at her sandwich with a frown on her face. There were no bite marks on the sandwich. Konami started moving closer. Had his super drawing ability failed him? Did he make the wrong pick?

"Everything OK, Blair?"

Blair looked at him with sad eyes. "I can't eat this."

It was Konami's turn to frown now. "Why not?"

"There's no way I can take this from you." Blair moved her hands to reveal the Golden Eggwich. "I can't eat this; you're the one who drew it!"

Red Hat started laughing. That's what had her so worried. He thought the pressure of the Graduation Duel was getting to her. This was just a trivial matter.

"It's fine, Blair." He said brushing off her concerns. "I've had my share of them over the years. You take it. Consider it a going away present from me."

At Konami's words, the realisation that this was the last few moments of their partnership sunk in. Konami kept up his smile even though he felt scared inside. Throughout his time in the Academy, he was always the one who kept calm no matter what. He couldn't break now. Not before he went in front of the entire school. Thankfully for him, Blair choose that moment to smile.

"Thanks, partner. I owe you one."

Konami's smile widened and became a little less forced. "No problem. Now eat up before we head in."

The team sat on the ground outside the Duel Field as they prepared for their final duel together. They joked around in an attempt to lighten the mood and ignore any lingering sadness that they felt knowing that they'd never be able to hang out like this again. All too soon though they saw Georg approach and signal them inside. He still looked at Konami with a sneer.

"You know, Blair," Red Hat said as they walked past him, "he's never gotten over that time you told him I said his theories were rubbish."

"Well, I couldn't let him find out that I was a girl so I had to distract him with something."

Their conversation was interrupted by an effeminate looking Professor. "*ahem*! Testing! Testing! Ladies and Gentlemen!" The pale, blonde ponytail, blue jacket wearing Dr. Crowler said. "Let the Duel Academy Graduation Tag Duel begin!"

Konami glared at Crowler as he walked off the stage. The man with a PhD in Dueling was hardly his favourite person at the best of times. The incident a few days ago did little to improve their relationship.

As the team walked onto the stage, Blair's eyes went wide as she saw Jaden and Tyranno approaching. "I knew it….. Our opponents are…"

"Hey guys!" Jaden yelled out, much more like his previous self ever since they defeated Nightshroud. "I can't wait to duel you!"

"M-Me too!" Blair stuttered out in the presence of her crush. "I've been looking forward to dueling you, Jaden!"

"Feels weird dueling each other after our last Graduation Duel, right Jaden?" Konami asked.

"Not to mention after our duel with Nightshroud!"

"Don't forget about me, Commander!"

"Wouldn't dream of it, Dino boy."

"Blair!" Tyranno called out happily. "You're looking much more like your usual self! Did you make a lot of memories with everyone?"

"Yep! I just have Jaden left! He's the last one I have to get over….!"

Konami felt a lightning bolt shock his entire body at those words. It suddenly reminded him of how selfish he was when he tried telling Blair how he felt. She has enough going on trying to confess to Jaden in a way even he understands. There's no need for him to further compound her problems by making their relationship awkward.

"K-Konami?" Blair asked her partner, with a concerned voice. "Are you OK? You've gone all pale."

"Hm? What? Yeah. Hahaha." He replied scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Just thinking of our new strategy."

"Hm? Are you guys talking about some new kind of strategy?" Jaden asked. "Now I'm getting even more excited!"

"Jaden… You never catch on, do you?" Tyranno exclaimed, before running his eyes over his opponents. "Although you're not the only one here guilty of that….."

"That's just how he is! It's part of the reason I like him!" Blair responded, making Konami flinch enough for Tyranno to notice. "….OK! Let's do this, Jaden! I'm going to show you the true power of a maiden in love!"

"C'mon then! Let's see some fireworks! Get your game on!"

"It's time to duel!" Konami yelled as his eyes flared red.

 **TURN 1 – BLAIR &KONAMI 8000LP VS JADEN&TYRANNO 8000LP**

"I'll start this off. Draw!" Blair looked at her opening hand before quickly moving forward with her strategy. "I'll summon Ehren, Lightsworn Monk in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1600). "Next, I'll activate Double Summon to Normal Summon again. This time it'll be Garoth, lightsworn Warrior in Attack Mode." (1850). "Then I'll end my turn with a face down." Due to her two Monster's effects she sent Crad Destruction, Jain, Lyla, Monster Reincarnation and Solemn Wishes to the Graveyard. Then due to Garoth's effect she drew one card.

Konami gave his partner a thumbs up when she looked over at him. While they didn't know who their opponents would be, they knew they'd have to start strong with some serious firepower and defence. Blair had got them off to a solid start.

 **TURN 2 – JADEN &TYRANNO 8000LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 8000LP**

"Sweet turn, Blair." Jaden said as he drew his card. "But I got a great turn in me too! I'll start by activating the effect of my King of the Swamp. I'll send it to the Graveyard to add a Polymerization to my hand. Next I'll use that to fuse my Elemental Hero Burstinatrix with my Avian to form Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"

A familiar green and red Monster appeared on the field in Attack Mode. (ATK: 2100). Konami smiled as he thought back to all the times he dueled alongside that Monster. ' _Already bringing out the big guns? You must be pumped for this duel._ '

"Go, Flame Wingman! Attack with Sky Dive Scorcher!"

"Not so fast!" Blair said as she revealed her trap. "I activate Negate Attack."

"Heh. Guess I'll end my turn with a face down then."

 **TURN 3 – BLAIR &KONAMI 8000LP VS JADEN&TYRANNO 8000LP**

"My turn. Draw!" Konami yelled. "First of all, I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon on your face down on the right." He smiled as he saw he had gotten rid of Hero Barrier. "Next I'll tribute Garoth to summon my Luster Dragon #2 in Attack Mode."

A large, majestic green Dragon rose up on the field. He dwarfed all the other Monsters on the field. (ATK: 2400).

"Now, Luster Dragon attack Flame Wingman. Blow him to smithereens!" The Dragon shot a blast of wind at the Hero. The Hero put his arms up to block any damage, but it was futile. He was reduced to pixels by the Dragon. "Follow it up with a direct attack Ehren!"

"I don't think so! I activate A Hero Emerges! And since there are only two cards in my hand, you have a 50/50 chance of guessing wrong." Konami guessed wrong, revealing the card to be Blade Edge. "I'll summon Elemental Hero Blade Edge in Attack Mode!" (ATK: 2600). The large, golden figure appeared on in front of Jaden.

"Ah. I'll play two cards face down and end my turn." Due to Ehren's effect Konami sent Masked Dragon, Luster Dragon and Exploder Dragon to the Graveyard. ' _Nice one. That'll help out later._ '

 **TURN 4 – JADEN &TYRANNO 7700LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 8000LP**

"Don't worry, Sarge. I'll keep the pressure up on them." Tyranno shouted. "I summon Destroyersauras in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1800). The dinosaur appeared on the field with a sharp blade on his head. "I'll attack Luster Dragon #2 with Blade Edge. And then Destroyersauras will attack Ehren!"

The two Monsters were destroyed as the holograms disappeared. Konami raised his arms to block any damage. "I'll activate Call of the Haunted to bring back Luster Dragon #2 in Attack Mode." His green Dragon reappeared on the field.

"I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

 **TURN 5 – BLAIR &KONAMI 7600LP VS JADEN&TYRANNO 7700LP**

"I'll turn this around." Blair said as she started her turn. "I'll tribute Luster Dragon #2 to summon my Celestia, Lightsworn Angel in Attack Mode." (ATK: 2300). "Next I'll equip her with Lightsworn Sabre to bring her Attack Points to 3000!"

The blue haired Angel spread her wide, feather wings as she took up her new weapon. It was creepy to Konami to see something so elegant and friendly looking also be so threatening.

"She'll attack Blade Edge." The golden warrior was cut in half as pixels appeared where he once was. "Then I'll end my turn."

 **TURN 6 –JADEN &TYRANNO 7300LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 7600LP**

"Nice. Time for my to do some really cool moves now." Jaden said as he drew his card. "I'll activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Next I'll activate Lightning Vortex by sending Elemental Hero Necroshade to the Graveyard." Blair recoiled as a lightning bolt reduced her Celestia to pixels. "Next I'll summon Elemental Hero Neos without a tribute due to Necroshade's effect. I'll have both my Monsters attack directly."

"I'll reveal my face down. Magic Cylinder on Neos." Konami shouted. "2500 points of damage that was intended for us instead is dealt to you."

Jaden blocked as Neos punched him directly. "Ha. Sweet counter."

"Hey, Jaden." Konami asked a grin on his face despite how serious the situation was. "Why are you hitting yourself?"

"Ughhh…" Blair groaned. "So lame!"

Konami stopped smiling as he braced himself from the impact of Destroyersauraus. The rampaging beast sent him flying backwards.

"I'll end my turn."

 **TURN 7 – BLAIR &KONAMI 5800LP VS JADEN&TYRANNO 4800LP**

"Draw!" Konami yelled back to being serious."I'll activate Future Fusion by sending a Twin Headed Behemoth, Masked Dragon, Luster Dragon, Exploder Dragon and Blizzard Dragon to the Graveyard."

"Not so fast!" Jaden yelled. "I activate the face down Dust Tornado."

Konami flinched as his spell was blown away. No Five God Dragon this time.

' _I've no Monsters to play except one that needs two tributes and one low stat Monster. Not much I can do but stall a little._ ' "I'll play one card face down and end my turn."

 **TURN 8 –JADEN &TYRANNO 4800LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 5800LP**

"No letting up now!" Tyranno roared as he drew. "I'll sacrifice my Destroyersaraus to summon the Level 6 Dark Driceratops in Attack Mode!" (ATK: 2400).

"Oh Ra!" Konami exclaimed.

"I'll that to attack your face down!" The feathered dinosaur cut through Konami's face down Troop Dragon (DEF: 800) with ease, inflicting 1600 in piercing damage to him.

"I'll activate my Troop Dragon's effect to bring out a second Troop Dragon."

"Then Neos will send that one packing!" Jaden's ace Monster reduced Konami's small Dragon to pixels with one punch.

"Heh. Maybe so, but I stopped you from being able to do any direct damage. And now I'll summon my third Troop Dragon!"

"Another one!? Those things are annoying." Tyranno said sounding exasperated. "I'll end my turn."

 **TURN 9 – BLAIR &KONAMI 4200LP VS JADEN&TYRANNO 4800LP**

"My turn. Draw!" Blair said. "I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

' _Damn,_ ' Konami thought as his partner ended her turn, ' _they really got us on the ropes here. Dark Driceratops will cut through our defences no matter what we do. We can barely stall with it around._ '

 **TURN 10 –JADEN &TYRANNO 4800LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 4200LP**

"Draw!" Jaden said smiling as he drew his card. He knew the end was near. "I'll attack your final Troop Dragon with Dark Driceratops." The dinosaur cut through the Dragon with ease as it sent the shards at Konami to inflict another 1600 points of piercing damage. "Neos attack their face down."

Neos punched the face down Monster to reveal it was the small Marshmallon. Neos bounced back off it as Jaden suffered 1000 damage after attacking it face down.

"Huh. I'll end my turn with that."

 **TURN 11 – BLAIR &KONAMI 2600LP VS JADEN&TYRANNO 3800LP**

"Looks like we're not done yet, huh Konami?" Blair said as she looked at her partner.

"Just about." He said with a smile. He loved these situations where he would have to rely on the strength of his deck to pull out an out of nowhere combo to turn things around. It made all his hours of work deck building worth it. The situation was looking bleak for him with only one level seven in his hand and no way to generate the tributes to summon it. Time to change things around.

"My turn. I'll activate the Pot of Greed I just drew to draw two more cards." Konami placed his fingers on his top two cards. ' _Come on, Heart of the Cards, don't fail me now._ ' A small dragon roared as Konami drew his two cards, his eyes flashing red. He quickly looked at them as he quickly calculated his plan for victory in his head. ' _Time to go to work, partner._ '

"I'll summon Red Eyes B. Chick in Attack Mode." (ATK: 800).

A small black Dragon poked its head out of the shell as the crowd starting awing at the cute Dragon. From his seat in the crowd Atticus stood up. Was Konami going to do it? Was he going to use those cards?

"That's the card that tried to protect you back when we faced Yubel, isn't it?" Jaden asked, remembering the Dragon disappeared when he used Super Polymerization.

"Yup." Konami answered. "But he won't be around long because I'm activating his effect to special summon the Red Eyes Black Dragon in my hand!" (ATK: 2400).

The small Dragon and egg disappeared into a blinding light as it started to grow bigger. A massive roar came out as the legendary Dragon of potential came out. Konami turned to face Atticus and gave him a visible wink. He wasn't done yet.

"Next, I'll tribute that Red Eyes to special summon Red Eyes Darkness Dragon from my hand!" (ATK: 2400).

A lava pit formed on the Duel Field as fire shot up and engulfed Red Eyes. Its roar grew more powerful as it transformed in the fire. The beast emerged with almost a metallic looking black and orange strips on its body. The crowd all now joined Atticus on their feet.

"If you've been keeping track you'd know that currently there are 13 Dragons in my Graveyard. Darkness Dragon gains 300 Attack Points for every Dragon there. That means he gets an 3900 in Attack." (2400 to 6300).

"What!?" Jaden and Tyranno both yelled out in unison. "But that means-"

"That this duel is over!" Konami finished for them. "Go, Red Eyes Darkness Dragon! Reduce Neos to ashes and put their LPs to a perfect zero!"

The black Dragon flew up into the sky as it let forth a blast of fire. Neos crossed his arms to try find it off, but it was pointless. The blast reduced him to pixels as the blast went past knocking Jaden and Tyranno over.

 **BLAIR &KONAMI 2600LP (WIN) VS JADEN&TYRANNO 0000LP (LOSE)**

The applause from the crowd rained down as the holograms disappeared. Noticeable over everyone else was Atticus, who was both wolf whistling and telling everyone in a five metre radius how he had given Konami his winning combo. Jaden was being hugged by a sobbing Tyranno, who insisted he was merely crying due to onion cutting ninjas sneaking up on him when no one was watching.

Blair rushed in to hug her partner. She buried her head in his chest. "Please, can we go somewhere private?"

Konami looked surprised at the suggestion before remembering she promised to tell him what was bothering her after the duel. "Sure. No problem." He said as he led her away by the hand. For some reason he was convinced that Atticus' wolf whistling increased as he did this.

They walked out of the main building and nearly all the way to the Obelisk Girls Dorm before Blair dug her heels in and stopped walking. "H-Here's fine." She whispered softly.

Konami stopped and turned to face her. "Everything alright?"

She took a small moment to breathe before she started smiling. "I did it….. Somehow, I did it….. ….. But now I have to say goodbye to everyone…. Still, I'm glad I could duel everyone before we had to say goodbye."

Konami smiled a little sad smile as he realised that he would have to say goodbye. The boat to pick him up would be arriving in a few minutes. "Yeah, they were a lot of fun."

Blair's smile widened when she heard this. "Thanks for sticking with me when I dueled everyone. It meant a lot to me."

"It was no problem." He replied sincerely. "It meant a lot to me that I was able to duel alongside you for so long."

Blair's smile faded away as she started frowning. "… You know, it feels like you've been my partner forever, Konami… I've sort of taken that for granted….. I guess I figured it would always be like that, but….before you go there's some things I have to say to you."

"Blair, look-"

"Please, Konami, I have to say this!" Blair looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Thinking back over my time here there's a few things that I never told you that I should have." Blair quickly bowed as Konami looked on confused. "I'm sorry I made you buy me so many sandwiches. I'm sorry I kicked you so much. I'm sorry that I poisoned you with my cooking. I'm sorry that I dragged you along on so many of my stupid attempts to get Jaden's attention. I'm sorry I was such a brat. A thousand times over, I'm so sorry."

"Blair, stop!" Konami said, looking at the ground. "I'm the one who should be apologising. All those times I tried helping you with Jaden, I failed. And there's something I have to tell. It's that I-" Konami stopped as he looked in his partners eyes. He promised to always help her. That meant doing what was right even when it didn't work in his favour. "I know Jaden plans to leave without a proper goodbye. You should go find him before its too late."

With that Konami went to walk away. It hurt him to have to do it but he promised he would help Blair. Even if it wasn't ideal for him, this is what it meant to be a good tag partner, right? He was tough. He had been on his own when he came to the Academy, so it was fitting he'd leave on his own. Konami tried to put more distance between them, but was stopped by a hand grabbing his own.

"Please, Konami, let me finish what I have to say." Blair said in a rather quite, yet defiant manner.

"But Jaden will-"

"I've taken our partnership for granted and always thought that you would be with me no matter what." Blair continued on ignoring him. "But if you're going away too… ….. I've made up my mind! I'm quitting the Academy! I'm quitting and following you, Konami! Then we can always be together!"

"What!?" Konami yelled in shock. Why would she want to be with him? What about Jaden? "No, no, no, no!"

"Huh?" Blair exclaimed as her eyes widen in shock. The hurt was evident on her face. "Why not? Don't you like me?"

"No! I'm not saying I don't like you! Blair, I do like you." Konami yelled out.

"B-but you don't want me to follow you?"

Konami feared that the situation was getting further and further out of his control. This was not good. "N-no, Blair. It's not that. It's-"

"Tell me! Because the truth is that….." Blair looked him defiantly in his eyes as she worked up the courage to tell him what he needed to hear. "…. But I … Well, the truth is that I love you."

Konami jaw fell slightly open as he stood shocked at hearing what she said. D-did Blair just? But didn't she like Jaden? But she looks serious. He felt his face get warm as he really what she was saying. She loved him? Him? Not Jaden?

Red Hat felt like he was on autopilot at this stage. He took a quick breathe to compose himself before he tried to do what those guys in the movies Blair made him watch with her did. Reaching over with his hand, he brushed a stray lock of her out of her face and tucked it behind hear ear. His hand lingered there, gently rubbing his thumb on her cheek. She looked up at him, with her big brown eyes turning hopeful again. "Blair, I do really like you. In fact I – I love you too."

Blair's eyes welled up as tears started to overflow and run down her cheeks. Konami looked straight into her eyes as he gently brushed her face. His fingers became wet from her tears.

"I love you." He repeated. "That's why I can't let you screw up your future by running away and ditching school. It's only another year. We can wait right?"

Blair stood there in silence as she contemplated her partner's words. "… I …. understand. ….I know!" Blair whispered as the tears starting flowing uncontrollably. "I'll do my best! I'll become the top duelist at the Academy! Then when I graduate, I'll go straight to you! So please! When that time comes….. Please let me stay with you forever."

"Of course, Blair!" Konami said starting to feel tears run down his own cheeks at the thought of being with Blair once they finished up their commitments.

"Promise!" Blair yelled, grabbing both his hands. "Cross your heart! Konami! You'll be my only partner forever and ever!"

"I promise!" Konami said as he touched her chin, bringing her face closer until their noses touched.

"OH, COME ON!" Atticus yelled from behind a tree. "JUST KISS HER ALREADY!"

"Atticus!" They both shouted, jumping with surprise. "How long have you been there!?"

Atticus sauntered out from his hiding spot. "Long enough to see all the good bits. I had to find Konami to tell him that his ship is here."

"Oh Ra!" Konami yelled out. "I have to hurry. I can't be late."

"You can't miss that ship, Konami-kun!"

Konami momentarily paused at his new pet name before Blair ran off towards the harbour, pulling him by the hand. Atticus chased after them as they raced towards the pier. The elder Rhodes told them that he had planned ahead and had a few of his fan club members take Konami's bags to the pier. While normally Red Hat would be annoyed by the thought of strangers rummaging around his room, he had to admit he was thankful for Atticus' actions this time.

As they made their way down the pier, they could see everyone waiting by the boat. Chazz, Alexis, Tyranno, Syrus and the others. The group started waving as Konami approached, screaming at him to hurry up.

"Huh…. Huh….. Phew….." Konami spluttered, collapsing on the ground. "M-Made it!"

"How are you so unfit!?" Blair asked incredulously. "All you do is walk around and duel people!"

"Play nice, Blair." Alexis said as she placed her hand on her underclassmen's shoulder. "Isn't there something you want to say to Konami, besides yelling at him?"

"Don't worry, Sissy!" Atticus yelled out. "She already did. They both did."

"About time." Chazz muttered under his breath.

"Atta boy, Commander!" Tyranno shouted, throwing an arm Konami and picking him up.

"*ahem*" The captain of the boat coughed to draw everyone's attention to him. "As charming as all this is, can we please wrap this up? Another student is waiting to leave for Mr. Pegasus' island as well."

"S-Sorry. This'll be really quick." Konami said bowing slightly, before turning back to Blair. "Sorry it took me so long to confess."

"We really got to talk more about this later." Blair said with a smile. "But now you got to get going. Your next adventure lies away from the island."

"Sorry I didn't think of a better going away present than this but I wanted to give you something that shows how much you mean to me." Konami took his Blue Eyes White Dragon card out of his pocket and gave it to Blair. "Keep it safe for me, OK? I'll definitely be back for it. And you of course."

Blair stood there stunned as she looked at the card that meant so much to Konami and had won him so many duels. She looked back at him to see his goofy, yet adorably nervous smile. Acting on instinct, Blair grabbed his collar with both hands and reached up on her tippy toes. She softly pressed her lips against Konami's. The Slifer had no idea how to react as Blair pulled back from him. He felt his cheeks going red as his heart temporarily stopped beating.

"You better be back!" She said with a wide smile. "Otherwise I won't be able to do that again."

The captain, seeing enough, grabbed Konami by the scruff of his neck and pulled on board. His friends had just recovered from their shock to start wolf-whistling and cheering. Blair stepped back alongside them as she waved at Konami. The boat started moving out form the dock as Konami stood there, waving at Blair and the rest of his friends.

"I promise I'll win." He shouted back at them. "You'll see me on the Pro circuit! Love you all! Love you, Blair!"

"Love you, Konami-kun!" Blair yelled louder than any of their friends.

Soon they started to fade from sight as Konami turned to see the open sea in front of him. He was sad to be leaving Blair and their friends but he had to turn to face the challenges in front of him. Blair would go on to be the best duelist at Duel Academy. That meant he had to move on with his career on the Pro circuit. Besides if he knew one thing it was that, Blair would always be part of him and have a part of him just like each of their friends did. They were a family however their relationships with each other changed. The one constant that would always remain is that they would always be a family.

Konami vowed then and there to make all of them proud of him as he ventured forward into the world past Duel Academy. The captain made his way back over to Konami.

"You sure you want to leave a girl like that behind?" He asked as he placed a hand on Konami's shoulder.

"Yeah, it's for the best." He replied with a small smile. "We have to move on with the rest of our lives. Otherwise we'd just be holding each other back. Besides, I can wait a year."

"Heh. If you say so, kid. By the way, I thought I'd introduce you to the other student on board." He said. "Her name is-"

Back on shore, Blair didn't stop waving until the boat vanished out of sight. She sighed softly, holding Blue Eyes close to her chest. She missed Konami already but now wasn't the time to whine and complain. She had promised to become the best duelist in the school. She couldn't afford to slack off without him here. When she could meet him again in a year's time, he would be impressed be the duelist and woman she had become.

The group all started to walk off as Alexis asked, "Think he's going to be alright?"

"Of course-" Blair started before she was interrupted by a shriek from the boat.

"WISTERIA!? NO! STAY BACK!" Konami roared.

"Eh… Probably?" Blair said, not sounding too convinced before amending her statement. "Eventually." She said as the group continued their walk back to campus. He survived much worse than Wisteria, hadn't he?

 **{A/N}**

 **Massive thanks to anyone who read, review, followed or favourited this story. Much appreciated. Konami sails off to face his new challenges but what will Duel Academy be like in a year's time? The next chapter will be the finale to this story. Thanks for reading and I hope that you enjoyed.**


	8. Chapter 8

Just a disclaimer to say, that Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't belong to me. All characters are owned by others. I'm merely using them in this fanfic for fun.

 **A Maiden's Quest – Heart Eight**

Konami stopped running as he cleared the forest on Pegasus' island. Wisteria had put up a good fight, but years of being chased around by and after Blair had turned Konami into a great runner. It also helped that, despite always wearing the same clothes, he always found ways to blend into the background and avoid any attention.

He looked up at the castle on top of the mountain. The sun shone down from above, basking the island in light. He looked over his right shoulder to where Blair normally was with a sad smile. If she was here, Red Hat was sure that she'd excitedly set up a scenario about how it was fate that the Maiden in Love and her Knight wound up by a castle.

" _Come on, Konami!_ " She would yell. " _Isn't it a Knight's job to protect his fair Maiden?_ "

It was strange. After having his partner around for so long, it felt unnatural to be walking around on his own like this. He heard a small growl beside him. ' _I mean without another human, bud. I haven't forgotten about you._ ' Konami said to the little black Dragon. ' _No point standing around though._ ' He had to keep moving on even without Blair and the rest of his friends. He couldn't win Pegasus' Tournament down here. He would have to climb the stairs and make his way up to his castle.

Konami only moved a few steps before he felt something crash into his back. He was knocked to the ground and felt someone pin him to the ground. He desperately turned his head to see who his attacker was. His blue eyes looked onto a pair of manic, red eyes. Konami eyes widen in fear as he saw the face of his assailant.

"Found you!" Wisteria said, in a scarily, sweet, sing-song voice.

Konami gulped.

 _(Sometime later at the Duel Academy)_

Blair knocked on Chancellor Sheppard's office before she walked in. The Chancellor was seated behind his big desk as usual, smiling as he saw Blair entering the room. The man may be physically imposing and look intimidating to those who don't know him, but in reality he was just a big softie.

"Ah, Blair!" He said as he offered her a seat. "Time really does fly, doesn't it? It was three years ago now since you snuck into our school. You've grown so much since then."

"Thank you, Chancellor."

"The Genex Tournament, the other dimension and Nightshroud. It all seems like it happened yesterday." He continued, nostalgically looking off into the distance. "Anyway, I called you here to tag about the graduation ceremony. Every year at the Graduation Ceremony, there is a ceremonial Tag Duel."

"I am aware, Chancellor." Blair said, remembering that he gave Konami a similar speech a year ago. "I have competed in one before."

"Yes, you've participated in it before as an underclassman. You were partners with Konami. And Jaden Yuki and Tyranno Hassleberry were your opponents. That was a fantastic duel that will go down in the history of this Academy." Blair had to resist the urge the temptation to roll her eyes. This was nearly word for word the same speech he gave Konami. "This time I would like you to represent the Graduating Students. I chose you because I know you'll show us a duel so spectacular, so moving that'll make last year's seem mediocre in comparison. You'll accept my offer, won't you?"

"Of course, Chancellor." Blair said, smiling as she bowed slightly. "It'd be honour to represent the school again, especially now that Konami isn't around to do it."

Sheppard smiled at her response. Word travelled around the school of the partners post-Tag Duel escapades. He stopped smiling as he leaned forward, bridging his fingers as he continued. "This year will be different. I'll be breaking down the barriers between students past and present. That means that former students can make their way back here to partake in the Duel."

Blair face lit up considerably. Did that mean she could still partner with Konami?

Sheppard smiled as he saw the wheels turn in her head. "Yes, this means that your former partner is allowed to duel alongside you if you wish. However….."

"What? Is something the matter?"

"Well," Sheppard said, "You realise he's a pro duelist now? He has other commitments. The date of the Graduation Duel is the same day as the First Round of the Fortune Cup, one of the most important tournaments around, especially for an up and coming Duelist such as him."

Blair frowned upon hearing this. It was true she wanted Konami duel alongside her but she didn't want to cost him the chance to compete in such a tournament. She wanted to improve in her time apart from him, not act as an anchor tying him to Duel Academy.

"Why not talk it over with him and see what you decide?" Sheppard suggested.

Blair walked out of the office in a daze. She wanted to duel alongside Konami again, but at the same time she didn't want to distract him from his career. She looked at his name in her PDA as her finger hovered over the call button. She found her hesitantion to be uncharacteristic of her.

In previous years, Blair may have pressured Jaden or Zane to help her. She would have been delighted to have any chance to interact and duel alongside her crush, but not this time. With Konami it was different. She wanted to prove that she could take care of things without him. That she could stand on her own two feet. She wanted to impress him with the duelist and woman she had become since he left.

But she didn't want to partner with anyone else….

Konami sat down on the bed in his hotel room. He was absolutely exhausted from his exploits in the Pro circuit. Since he won Pegaus' Tournament, he had been dueling and travelling non-stop. He hadn't had a chance to swing by Duel Academy yet. Due to winning the Friendship Cup, he was allowed access to the Fortune Cup. He had the chance to duel some of the all time greats, like Joey Wheeler. If he won he could face the King of Domino City, Seto Kaiba. He looked at his PDA to see a message from Blair.

" _Hey, Kon-kun. You looked super cute in the magazines._ "

Konami smiled as he saw her message. He began writing a response when he received his phone started vibrating again. Blair was calling him.

"Hey, Blair! What's up?"

" _Hi, Kon-kun_." Blair voiced came through the speaker. It sounded a little hesitant. " _Can I ask you for a favour…?_ "

"Ughhh!" Konami said in a comically over dramatic voice. "You're not going to ask me to get your free cards or a new Duel Disk like everyone else, are you?"

" _N-No! Of course not!_ " Blair replied, sounding oddly flustered.

"Relax, Blair. I'm joking. You don't have to be so formal. What do you need?"

" _Well,_ " Blair's muffled replied came, " _if you have the time…. I was wondering if… if you didn't mind…._ "

"You need me to be your partner in your Graduation Duel?" Konami interjected. "No problem. I'll be there."

" _H-How did you know?_ " Blair asked.

"Sheppard told me."

" _Oh, right. T-That make sense._ _B-but it'll clash with the Fortune Cup…_ "

"No worries. I'll take care of that. You just get yourself ready for your duel."

They couple continued to talk for a while more. After they finished, Red Hat started texting Pegasus. He'd need to let him know about the slight change of plans….

 _(The day of the Graduation Duel)_

Blair stood in the same spot outside the Duel Field where she and Konami had stood the previous year. Konami had promised to be there for her duel, but he still hadn't arrived. She wanted to finish up this duel before she joined him on his adventure. He excitedly told her all about his exploits on Pegasus' Island, his victory in the European Championship and his win in the Friendship Cup. It felt weird seeing his picture online celebrating his wins when she hadn't seen him in person in so long. There was no sign of his hat in the photos. Presumably they made him take off his trademark hat for the photos. That was a trivial matter though. All that mattered is that after a year apart, the Maiden in Love and her Knight would be reunited.

Blair walked out into the Duel Field as her name was called by Georg. She walked through the curtain to see both Pablo and Matthew facing her. Blair's brow furrowed when she realised Konami wasn't there already as she had presumed. If he didn't show up then she wouldn't have a partner. She looked around to see where Sheppard was. Did he know something she didn't? The crowd were starting to murmur at Blair's lack of a partner. After a moment, the Maiden found him standing in the top rung of the bleachers. He gave a signal and the roof to the Duel Field got pulled back.

Sunlight poured out of the hole that appeared, temporarily blinding Blair. She heard a weird motorised noise as her head was turned away. When she turned back to look back at the sunroof, there was a helicopter lowering itself down into the centre of the Duel Field. The students were surprised by this turn of events to say the least.

Once the helicopter landed and the blades stopped spinning, the pilot hopped out and opened the door. After a brief moment, none other than Maximillian Pegasus stepped out onto the Duel Filed. The students started wildly applauding the creator of Duel Monsters. The natural showman seemed to bask in their admiration. After milking their applause, he held up his hand to silence them as he was handed a microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of Duel Academy. It is my honour to introduce you to the final participant in this Graduation Duel. His accomplishments merit such a grandiose entrance. He is the reigning European Champion and winner of the Friendship Cup, your former classmate Konami Himura!"

Blair started rushing over to the helicopter as Konami stepped out. She stopped halfway there, stunned by Konami's new appearance. His signature red Duel Academy hat was replaced by a red Kaiba Corp hat. He wore a red and black jacket over a black T-shirt instead of his old Slifer jacket. He traded in his Slifer jeans for more tight fitting ones that looked like riding pants. His outfit was complete with dark brown boots and a gold necklace. He looked older and more mature.

Blair nearly couldn't believe that it was the same person. If it wasn't for that goofy smile plastered on his face, she wouldn't have accepted it at all. It was him. It was really him.

Konami also took a moment to appreciate how much Blair had changed in the year since they had been apart. Her eyes were still round and soft, but had gotten sharper. Her hair was still wild, with random tuffs jutting out, but it seemed more graceful and controlled now. She had grown a bit taller, yet she still barely reached his chest. She still had the usual Blair charm to her appearance, while also managing to look more refined.

Konami ran across the Duel Field to bring her into a hug. Blair buried her face into his chest. She blushed when she realised that he had filled out his frame more since he left and his chest felt much harder now.

"Blair." He whispered in her ear. "It's so good to finally see you again."

That's when things finally clicked back into place for Blair. She pushed off his chest and gave him a quick kick in the shin. The Pro Duelist let out a yelp of pain and surprise from her action.

"What was that for?"

"What took you so long?" Blair asked, pouting at her partner. "I was worried that you were going to stand me up?"

"I'm sorry." Konami said still clutching his shin. "Blame Pegasus. He wanted me to have a spectacular entrance."

Pegasus laughed as he saw the scene unfold in front of him. "I like you. You're feisty." Blair shot him a glare, prompting him to quickly add, "Well, he is a star now. It makes sense and it adds to the drama of the event. Plus coming here lets us collect you to take with us to the Fortune Cup."

Blair still frowned. "Konami, I don't want to distract you from the Fortune Cup. This is important for your career."

Konami wagged his finger. "No, see you won't be distracting me. I get to duel here one more time. Then I get to show off in front of you later. Nothing motivates a duelist more than the thought of impressing his g-g-" Konami blushed as he realised what he was about to say.

"Oh, please, Konami-boy!" Pegasus said with an exasperated shake of his head. "We all know that she's your girlfriend now. You can just say it!"

Both Blair and Konami blushed as they looked away from each other. With how fast everything came about last time, they never really had the chance to call the other one their boyfriend or girlfriend.

"Hey!" A loud voice came from the other side of the Duel Field. Pablo was red in the face with frustration. "Don't you guys dare ignore me a second longer! I'll pummel this SLACKER into the ground!"

"H-Hey." Matthew said putting his hand on his partners shoulder. "Maybe we should just let them finish their conversation."

"No, I'm sick of that slacker always stealing my spotlight! Get ready! 'Cause it's time to Duel!"

"Do you have something against me?" Konami asked, looking perplexed by his opponents rage.

"Huh. Well, Mr. Pro, if you must know I don't see how a slacker like you got to where you are! That's a spot that's reserved for the elite like me!"

"Great," Blair said, pinching the bridge of her nose, "he's like a younger, more petty version of Chazz."

"Enough talking already! Let's duel!" The male Obelisk yelled.

"You heard him, Blair." Konami said, activating his Duel Disk, his eyes turning red."We can talk some more later. It's time to get your game on!"

 **TURN 1 – BLAIR &KONAMI 8000LP VS PABLO&MATTHEW 8000LP**

"I'll start this off. Draw." Blair shouted. "I'll summon Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior." (ATK: 1850). "Then I'll play one card face down. I end my turn."

 **TURN 2 – PABLO &MATTHEW 8000LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 8000LP**

"That all you got?" Pablo yelled, as he drew his card. "I'll summon Toon Goblin Attack Force in Attack Postion." The cute, small, green goblins appeared on the field swinging their clubs around in a both comical and violent manner. (ATK: 2300). "Luckily for you it can't attack on the first turn that it's summoned. So I'll end with two face downs."

 **TURN 3 – BLAIR &KONAMI 8000LP VS PABLO&MATTHEW 8000LP**

"Then it's my turn!" Konami said as he checked his hand. "I'll use Future Fusion to send my Luster Dragon, Troop Dragon, Masked Dragon, Exploder Dragon and Blizzard Dragon to the Graveyard. In two turns, I'll fusion summon Five God Dragon!"

"Not so fast!" Pablo yelled. "Did you think I didn't watch your duels Mr. Pro? I activate Dust Tornado. I'll use it to destroy your Future Fusion and then set another face down."

Konami flinched as his spell was blown away. He quickly scanned his hand again to think of a different strategy. ' _Nothing that can overpower his Goblins but I can still get around them._ ' "I'll summon Exploder Dragon in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1000). "Now, I'll have him attack your Goblins! His special effect will allow him to take out your Monster after it destroys him."

The small Dragon flew into the centre of the Goblins. One of them clipped his wings with their club, causing him to fall, although his explosion upon impact wiped out the Toon Force. Pablo was left wide open for a direct attack.

"Go, Garoth! Attack them directly!"

"As if I'd let you do that!" Matthew yelled. "Widespread Ruin!" As Garoth made his way across the Duel Field an explosion went off, reducing him to pixels.

"Damn!" Konami muttered under his breath. "I'll end with two face downs and end my turn."

 **TURN 4 – PABLO &MATTHEW 8000LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 8000LP**

"I-I'll take things over now…" Matthew softly murmured. He clearly lacked Pablo burning desire to win, taking a more docile approach. "I'll activate the Call of the Haunted Pablo set last turn to bring back Toon Goblin Attack Force." The cute Goblins reappeared on the field. "N-Next I'll summon the Goblin Elite Attack Force in Attack Mode.." (ATK: 2200).

"Huh. We could be in trouble here, Blair." Konami said. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he couldn't stop a sheepish grin spreading across his face as all the memories of all the times he had said that before flooded back.

"How many times have you said that to me before?" Blair said with a small smile.

"STOP IGNORING US!" Pablo yelled. "I will not be ignored by you slackers!"

Konami merely rolled his eyes as he turned back to face his opponents. "It's your partners turn not yours, remember?"

"Y-Yeah, so I'll attack you directly…" Matthew said in a weak, hesitant voice. It was clear that his shy personality wasn't suited for this type of occasion.

"I'll activate my trap A Hero Emerges!" Konami yelled, revealing one of his face downs. "You have to pick one of the cards in my hand and if the one you pick is a Monster I can special summon it to the field. So go ahead. Take your pick."

Matthew quietly contemplated the choice. His time wasting annoyed Pablo. "Pick the one on the right!" He yelled.

Matthew jumped at the raised sound of his partner's voice. "I-I'll p-pick the one on the right!"

Konami smiled again. "It's Troop Dragon. So I can summon it in Defence Mode!" (DEF: 800).

"I'll attack with Toon Goblin…" The Goblins swung their clubs at the small Dragon until the hologram disappeared.

"I'll activate its effect and summon my third Troop Dragon in Defence Mode."

"Then I'll have the Elite Goblins attack your Monster." The Goblins overwhelmed the Dragon once again as it was reduced to mere pixels. "Next I'll set a face down and end my turn."

 **TURN 5 – BLAIR &KONAMI 8000LP VS PABLO&MATTHEW 8000LP**

"My turn." Blair yelled as she drew her card. "I'll summon Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1700). "Then I'll equip my Lyla with Lightsworn Sabre to boost its Attack Points to 2400. Then I'll have her attack your Toon Goblin Attack Force."

"I'll activate my Final Attack Order that I set last turn." Matthew said. "It turns all face up Monsters to Attack Mode. Then I'll activate Negate Attack to stop your attack from going through."

Blair scowled as the reflective barrier blocked her Monster's attack. "I'll end my turn. Due to Lyla's effect I have to send the top three cards of my deck to the Graveyard." Blair sent Jain, Aurkus and Card Destruction to the Graveyard.

 **TURN 6 – PABLO &MATTHEW 8000LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 8000LP**

"Finally back to me!" Pablo yelled. "I'll start off by using Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Lightsworn Sabre." Blair recoiled as her Monster's Attack Points were brought back down to 1700. "Then I'll summon Gene Warped Warwolf in Attack Mode." (ATK: 2400). "Now I'll attack your Monster!"

"I'll activate Negate Attack!" Blair said, revealing the trap Konami had set.

"Gah!" Matthew roared, evidently frustrated. "I'll end my turn!"

 **TURN 7 – BLAIR &KONAMI 8000LP VS PABLO&MATTHEW 8000LP**

"Draw." Konami said as he checked his options. He had no combos that he could pull off now. He'd need to try hold off for another turn. He needed another draw. "I'll play one card face down and end my turn."

 **TURN 8 – PABLO &MATTHEW 8000LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 8000LP**

"Time to keep the pressure up.." Matthew whispered. "I'll summon Chainsaw Insect in Attack Mode." (ATK: 2400). "Then I'll have him attack your face down." Luster Dragon was revealed and due to the effect of Final Attack Order was switched to Attack Mode.

"I'll activate the Spirit Barrier that Blair set on the first turn and stop us from taking any battle damage from this battle."

"You're Luster Dragon is still destroyed, while you draw one card due to Chainsaw Insect's effect."

Konami looked at the card he drew. If Blair could hold out until he got to his next turn he could turn this around.

Matthew pressed on. "And Spirit Barrier only works if you have a Monster on the field. So I'll have my Toon Goblins, Elite Goblins and Gene Warped Warwolf attack you directly!"

The Monsters all charged forward, battering Konami as his and Blair's LPs took a massive hit.

"I'll end my turn with that!"

 **TURN 9 – BLAIR &KONAMI 1500LP VS PABLO&MATTHEW 8000LP**

' _C'mon, Blair._ ' Konami thought to himself. ' _You can do it._ '

"My turn. Draw!" Blair suddenly started smiling. "I'll special summon my Judgement Dragon from my hand due to having four or more different Lightsworn Monsters in my Graveyard."

The majestic white feathered dragon descended down from the light high above the duel field. Even Konami, who had become familiar with the card, was stunned by the creature. It landed softly on the field in front of Blair

"Next I'll activate its effect. By paying 1000 LPs, I can destroy all the other cards on the field. Go, Divine Judgement!"

The Dragon took to the air once more waving his wings as all the other cards on the field crumbled to pieces due to the force of the winds. Konami looked on feeling both surprised and proud. He hadn't taken into account Blair changing the game to that extent. He had underestimated how much she had improved since he was gone. The Obelisk could take care of herself now.

Once everything was cleared from the field Blair yelled, "Now attack them directly." The Dragon's

 **TURN 10 – PABLO &MATTHEW 5000LP VS BLAIR&KONAMI 500LP**

"My turn." Pablo drew his card. Axe of Despair. It was useless now, he had no defences. "I'll end my turn."

 **TURN 11 – BLAIR &KONAMI 500LP VS PABLO&MATTHEW 5000LP**

' _My big turnaround play just feels excessive now._ ' Konami thought to himself. ' _Oh, well. I'll give the crowd their money's worth I suppose._ '

"My turn. I'll summon Red Eyes B. Chick in Attack Mode." A small black Dragon poked its head out of the shell. Pablo groaned as he knew what was going to happen next. "I'll activate its effect to special summon Red Eyes Black Dragon from my hand." The small Dragon and egg disappeared into a blinding light as it started to grow bigger. A massive roar came out as the legendary Dragon of potential came out.

"It's been a while since I've seen this." Blair said.

"And now to evolve it even further, I'll tribute that to special summon another monster from my hand. O crucible which melts my soul, scream forth from the depths of the abyss and engulf my enemies in a crimson wave! Pierce through, Red Eyes Darkness Dragon!"

A lava pit formed on the Duel Field as fire shot up and engulfed Red Eyes. Its roar grew more powerful as it transformed in the fire. The beast emerged with almost a metallic looking black body and orange strips. The crowd rose to their feet as they recognised the ace Monster that won Konami his tournaments.

"If you've been keeping track you'd know that currently there are 9 Dragons in my Graveyard. Darkness Dragon gains 300 Attack Points for every Dragon there. That means he gets a 2700 in Attack." (2400 to 5100). "I'll attack you directly with Judgement Dragon." Pablo was thrown back by Judgement Dragon's attack. "I'll end this by attacking with Red Eyes Darkness Dragon. Dark Inferno Blast!" The powerful Fire Blast reduced Pablo and Matthew's LPs to zero.

 **BLAIR &KONAMI 500LP (WIN) VS PABLO&MATTHEW 0000LP (LOSE)**

As soon as their LPs hit zero, Pablo stormed off with Matthew running after him. The crowd broke into applause as Blair rushed over to hug Konami again. It felt so good to partner up with him again. Red Hat hugged her back a smile. He finally had his partner back with him.

"Sorry I kicked you again." Blair said as she pulled away. "I mean after I apologised to you for it last time and everything…."

"Pftt. In all honesty, I'd be more worried if you didn't kick me. I'd be worried you lost interest." Konami playfully remarked. "By the way, I'm sorry that I made you worry that I wouldn't show up. I promise I'll always be there to have your back for your big moments."

"It's fine, Konami-kun." Blair said as she reached up on her tippy toes and pressed her lips on Konami's again. Rather than the stunned response she was meet with last time, Konami instead placed his hands on her cheeks cupping her face as he responded. Beside them, Pegasus coughed to get their attention. The couple pulled apart when they remembered that they weren't the only two people in the room.

"As heart-warming as all that was, we do have somewhere we must be." Pegasus said.

They all rushed over to the helicopter and made their way aboard. Pegasus gave the pilot the signal to take off. The chopper rose up and out of the stadium as the students and Chancellor Sheppard waved goodbye.

"So we're onto the Fortune Cup now?" Blair asked as she snuggled up to Konami.

"Yes." Pegasus replied. "Konami will compete for the chance to face the King of Domino City. If he wins, he could soon face the overall King of Games. "

Konami's heart starting pounding against his chest at the mere thought of facing Yugi. Blair turned around to face him to take in his appearance once again. There was still something bothering her.

"What happened to your hat, by the way?" She asked, prompting Pegasus to burst out laughing.

Konami's eyes glossed over as he looked off into the distance. "Wisteria got her hands on me."

"She didn't take losing to Konami-boy in the final of my tournament very well." Pegasus said smiling at the memory of her rampage. "Still, I'm not sure where she got those scissors. And I didn't think she'd cut it up into so many pieces."

Konami looked heartbroken at the thought of his loss. "Don't worry, Kon-kun. You look really good with your new hat."

"Ha. Thanks."

"Any other news I should know about?"

"I ran into Jaden actually." Konami said regaining his upbeat attitude. "He was in Venice."

"Oh, how was he?"

Konami frowned. "I'm worried that he hit his head. He kept going on about some weird time travelling biker that he had to defeat by dueling with some guy from the future and a young version of Yugi. I think he's missing the adventures of Duel Academy and decided to make something up. I mean, c'mon. Card games on motorcycles?"

For whatever reason, Pegasus seemed to be rather silent at that last bit. The rest of the journey passed by in relative silence as the couple exchanged more stories. Soon they landed in Domino City. The stadium that would hold the Fortune Cup was just a few streets away. Blair and Konami hopped out as Pegasus remained seated.

There was a motorbike on the landing strip. It had a sleek black frame with red trimming on it. Konami turned to face Pegasus. "What's this for?"

"Well, you know how I've had you learn to ride a motorbike recently? Well, I've decided that the future of Duel Monsters is Turbo Duels, duels contested on Duel Runners! What do you think?"

Pegasus quickly ordered the pilot to take off before Konami could respond. The helicopter flew in the direction of the stadium.

"We don't have any time to question his decision." Blair said. "Isn't the Fortune Cup about to begin?"

Konami sighed as he pulled two helmets off the handlebars. He handed one to Blair, before putting the other one on himself. "Guess you're right. Hope on. I'll get us there in a few seconds."

Blair put her helmet on and looked on in surprise as Konami did the same. "How did you do that while still wearing a hat?"

"Magic." He responded, before adding with a wink, "Looks like the Knight finally has a trusty stead."

Blair reluctantly sat on the seat behind Konami. She wrapped her arms around his chest as she held on for dear life. Red Hat kicked started the Duel Runner as he took off. Blair knew right then and there that Turbo Duels weren't for her. She fought down the urge to vomit as they moved at such high speed.

"Please, Kon-kun, don't get me killed."

"Of course, Blair." Konami said over his shoulder, as he weaved through the traffic. "What would I do without my number one girl?"

Blair blushed when she heard that. She buried her head into Konami's back as she said,"Shut up, you dork….."

Within minutes, thanks to Konami's haphazard driving, they reached the stadium. Konami brought the Duel Runner to a sudden stop as Blair quickly got off the Runner. She'd never get used to Konami's driving. Eager to get away from the bike, she made her way up the steps to the entrance as Konami sat watching her.

The sun had started to fall in the time it took them to reach the stadium. It cast an orange hue over Domino City, making a halo appear in her dark blue hair. Her brown eyes shone like beacons in the light, while her lips were a soft shade of pink. The sunset brought him back to their trip up the mountains to the legendary rocks.

Blair turned back when she realised Konami was behind her. "Everything OK?" She asked.

"Yeah." Konami answered, a smile tugging on his cheeks. "Just thinking about how lucky I am."

Blair broke into a big grin. "Smooth. Guess it's because of those great lines that I love you."

Konami smile somehow widened again, nearly splitting his face in half. "Love you too, Blair."

Konami quickly hopped up the steps, making his way up to Blair. The former Queen of the Obelisk's held out her hand for Red Hat. Konami happily took hold of it, as the couple made their way into the stadium for the Fortune Cup and to their future together, as they would always remain. The Maiden in Love and her beloved Knight.

 **~Fin~**

 **{A/N}**

 **So that ends this story. Did anyone get my references to Toradora and Konosuba? Thanks to anyone who read, favourited, followed or reviewed the story. Much appreciated.**


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